The Same
by quicksaver007
Summary: The Inugang has finally defeated Naraku. The Shikon Jewel has been made whole. Miroku's curse has been lifted, and Kohaku has been returned to Sango. What will Kagome do, now that Inuyasha wants to use the shikon Jewel to make him a full demon or human
1. Chapter 1 Thinking

The Same

Book 1: Coming Together

By James Moore

Disclaimer: The characters in this story are not mine.

Chapter 1

Thinking

"Well, we've finally defeated Naraku and collected all the shards of the Shikon Jewel," Kagome thought, while lying on the grass near the well around mid afternoon. "Miroku's Wind Tunnel curse has been removed and Sango has Kohaku back. I can just tell that Sango and Miroku would make a great couple, if Sango can tame Miroku's perversion. Shippo has been accepted into the village and has a family looking out for him. If everything is so great, then why do I feel as if there's something more to be done?"

The answer is….

"InuYasha. He said he wanted to become a full demon by using the Shikon Jewel. I don't think I could handle being with a full demon InuYasha for very long. He just scares me. On the other hand, He told me that he was willing to become human for me. I could never let him do that. It would take away too much of who he is. I love him just the way he is. I can't tell him he can't use the Jewel to become either a human or full demon, but I don't want him to change. ARGHHHH. Why does this have to be so difficult!"

She heard the jingling of metal, and looked up to see Miroku coming her way.

Putting a smile on her face and waving her hand, she said, "Hey, Miroku. You got a minute?" He smiled, walked over and sat down. "Sure, Kagome. What's up?"

Becoming a little nervous, she decided to ask him. "Miroku, do you remember when InuYasha said he would become a full demon with the Shikon Jewel?" Miroku nodded. "Well, he told me that if I wanted him to, he would become a human for me. I know he wants to be like me and I want us to be together, but I don't think I could stand him becoming either one. It would be too hard on our relation if he became a full demon, and becoming a human would change him too much. I love him just the way he is and I don't know what to do. Any advice?"

Miroku thought for a couple of minutes before saying, "I can think of only 2 solutions to this. You could just refuse to give him the jewel, but he would be very unhappy about that. The other solution is that you use the Jewel and become a half demon yourself, but before you decide what you want to do, think carefully about what consequences your actions would have."

Nodding her head, Kagome thanked Miroku and asked him if he could let her think about this alone. He understood and left her.

She lay back onto the grass and thought. I can't let InuYasha change, so that's out. If I told him he couldn't use the Shikon Jewel, then he'd get mad at me. He'd hate me forever, and he might try to hurt me to get the jewel. If I did that, then I'd be breaking my own heart, because he would never stay with me when I'm the one with the jewel, so that's not an option. But, what if I became a half demon like him?"

She went over the pros and cons of becoming a half demon in her mind.

"cons:

I'd be looked at as a freak.

pros:

InuYasha and I would be the same

InuYasha wouldn't be the only half demon around anymore"

Kagome thought long and hard on this. She finally decided to ask what Sango or Kiede thought, since she couldn't decide.

She stood up and, noticing that it was getting dark, hurried through the forest to get back to the village. Just as she came to the edge of the forest, she heard a twig snap to her right. Snapping her head up to see what caused the noise, she saw InuYasha.

"Kagome? Where have you been all day? I wanted to find you, but Miroku said you wanted some time to think. What about?"

Becoming suddenly nervous, she answered, "By the well. I just wanted to think about what I'm going to do, now that Naraku's dead."

He looked at her curiously. His facial expressions changed into a nervous look. "Oh. Ok. Say, Kagome, can I talk to you for a second? It's about the Shikon Jewel."

As soon as she heard "Shikon Jewel", she panicked. Quickly thinking of an excuse to leave, she said, "Could you hold that thought? I'm hungry and everyone's probably wondering where I am." Sighing, he agreed to wait a while.

Relieved that she had avoided InuYasha momentarily, Kagome walked quickly to Kiede's hut. As Kiede noticed her, she said, "Ah, child. Ye have returned. I was getting worried ye were in trouble. Supper is ready." Kagome acknowledged her with a nod and she hurried to get some food. Sango sat down to eat with her. InuYasha, Miroku, and Shippo weren't there, because they had their own hut that they ate and slept in. Eating her food eagerly, Kagome set the bowl down when she was done. Shifting into a more comfortable position, she waited until Sango and Kiede were finished. When they were, she asked them for their opinions about her problem with InuYasha and the jewel.

When she finished, Sango was bursting to give her opinion. "That's great. I agree with you about InuYasha becoming human or demon, so if he can't change for you, you should change for him. Besides, you'd look even cutter with those dog ears of InuYasha's on your head." Kagome blushed, saying "Arigato." Turning towards Kiede, the smile still on her face, she asked, "What do you think of this solution, Kiede?"

Kiede looked at her for a few seconds before talking. "It looks like a good solution, but I must ask. Will you truly be happy like that?"

Kagome's smile slipped as doubt shadowed her whole idea. Would she be happy like that? She thought about this until it was time to go to sleep. Her love of InuYasha conquering, she decided that, yes, she would be happy, as long as InuYasha was with her. just before she fell asleep, she gripped the Shikon Jewel that was hanging from a necklace, tightly in her hand, and wished that she was a half demon like InuYasha. Little did she know, as she fell asleep, that, by doing this seemingly meaningless action, her wish was granted.


	2. Chapter 2 Kagome, The Half DogDemon

The Same

Book 1: Coming Together

By James Moore

Disclaimer: The characters in this story are not mine.

Chapter 2

Kagome, the half dog-demon

Kagome woke up with a start. It was just after dawn. Sitting up to check her surroundings, one hand went to her necklace, but something was wrong. The Shikon Jewel was gone. Looking around frantically, Kagome looked everywhere in the hut for the Jewel. She was so distressed at losing the Jewel, that she never noticed her hands had claws on them. Kiede woke up to the sight of a frantically searching girl with black dog ears and claws. She was about to get her bow, when she recognized who the girl was. "Kagome?"

Turning quickly at the sound, Kagome saw that Kiede was awake. "I've lost it," She said, clearly distressed, "I've lost the Jewel." Realizing what must have happened, Kiede asked the girl, "You made a wish while holding the jewel, didn't you?"

With a look of complete confusion, Kagome looked at Kiede. "Yes, I did, but what does that have to do with anything?"

Handing the girl a mirror from her pack, Kiede began explaining just what that had to do with anything. "When ye make a wish while holding the Shikon Jewel, if ye hold onto it until the dawn of the next day, then ye wish is granted. Also, the Jewel becomes one with the wisher, so the wish can be fulfilled"

A look of shocked horror appeared on the young girl's face. Slowly, she lifted the mirror and looked at her reflection. She gaped at it. Her ears were no longer on the sides of her head. Instead, they were on top of her head. They were dog like and black, like her hair, with a pink inside. Hesitantly, she brought a hand up and poked the right ear. It twitched as she felt the poke. She noticed her hand looked different. Bringing it down to look at it, she saw nails, no, claws like InuYasha. Realizing that there were other things to check, she took a whiff of the air. She was overwhelmed at all the smells she smelled. Dazed, she thought of one more thing to check. Lifting the mirror again, she looked at her eyes. They were amber, like InuYasha. Though her wish had come true, she wasn't prepared for it to happen yet. A headache began to form. Overwhelmed, she leaned on her legs, holding her head, saying, "No. No. No. No." Tears were coming from her eyes.

She was startled when Sango said, "No, what?" She looked like she had been woken up by Kagome's little denial. Rubbing her eyes, Sango looked at Kiede, then Kagome. When she saw her, her jaw dropped. "Kagome? Why do you look like InuYasha?"

Kiede quickly explained about the Shikon Jewel and wishes. When she was done, Sango looked at Kagome. "You wished to be like InuYasha?" Kagome just nodded. "We should get Miroku and Shippo, so they know what's going on" Shaking her head in the affirmative way, Kagome sat back up and rubbed where her tears had fallen. Regaining as much of her composure as possible, she asked Sango to go get them.

When Miroku and Shippo arrived, Shippo immediately sprang at Kagome to give her a hug, yelling, "Kagome." When he hugged her, he noticed that she smelled different. He looked up and asked her about it. She gave a sad smile and pulled him away to set him on the ground. When he saw the changes, he was shocked. Before he could ask anything, Kagome said, "I'm a half demon, now." Sputtering, Shippo asked, "Wha? How?" Kagome told him and Miroku, who had just leaned against a wall to wait to be told, what happened. "What do you think I should do," she asked when she finished. "Tell InuYasha. I'm sure he'll understand," said an excited Shippo. Miroku nodded in agreement. She nodded, and decided that this is what she wanted.

After taking a few seconds to prepare herself, Kagome stood up, grabbed her bow and arrows, and went over to the boys' hut. Sango, who had kept InuYasha busy for her, was still inside the hut talking to InuYasha. Stopping by the wall just outside the doorway, she said, "Sango. May I speak to InuYasha alone for a moment?" "Sure. Hold on a sec." Kagome heard some shuffling and a pair of feet moving to the door. After Sango left to get the others, Kagome waited a few seconds for InuYasha to come out, but nothing happened. Sighing, she said, "InuYasha, could you please come out here?" With her new highly sensitive dog hearing, Kagome heard InuYasha get up. Her eyes widened as she heard what he was saying under his breath. Trying to stay in control, Kagome took a deep breath. The others arrived just as InuYasha stepped out. Looking over at her, annoyed, he was shocked at what he saw. Kagome had ears and hands like him. He looked at her, flabbergasted

Thinking the ears and hands were some kind of joke, he reached over to take off what he thought was a fake pair of removable ears. He held one ear with his thumb and forefinger and pulled. He was surprised when they didn't come off and, instead, Kagome pulled back. "Ow. That hurt, InuYasha." Staring at her dumbly, he asked, "What? What happened to you?"

Kagome looked down, nervous at what his response would be. "Well, you see, I kinda wished that the Shikon Jewel would make me into a half demon" InuYasha started getting annoyed. "And why would you do that?" Kagome began sweating. "Because I ca…can't let you use the Jewel." With an extremely pissed look on his face, he growled, "And why not?" Kagome started twitching. "Be….cause I can't let you ch….change." InuYasha was an inferno of rage. Because she was looking down, she never saw what came next. "You BITCH," he yelled, and slapped her in the face. She tumbled to the ground. Holding a hand to where he hit her, she looked at him in horror.

"What were you thinking? You had a petty little wish, so it had to be granted, so screw InuYasha and his wish."

"No. InuYasha, I…."

"Shut up. I should rip you apart and take the jewel."

As soon as Kagome heard this, fear filled her whole body. He threatened to kill her, and he looked mad enough to do it. Scared, she ran for her life towards the well.

Before InuYasha could begin chasing her, he heard the sound of something flying at him. Jumping, he looked down at what it was. It was Sango's boomerang. "What the hell was that for," he yelled as he descended. He looked at everyone there. All of them had hate in their eyes.

The others surrounded him. "You BASTARD. You didn't even let her explain why she did that." "Like I need to? She was thinking only of herself." A second later, he felt a sharp pain on the back of his head. Whirling around, he saw Miroku with his staff still in the air. "No, InuYasha. She did that thinking of you. She did that because she loves you"

This came as a shock to the male dog demon. "So, what is the reason she did that?"

Miroku shook his head. "If you want to find out why, then I suggest you apologize to Kagome and ask her." Everyone nodded in agreement. "I will tell you this, though. She knew the risks and the sacrifices she'd have to make to do that, but her love for you allowed her to do that."

Felling a pain in his heart, InuYasha knew he had done something terrible. "Oh, god. KAGOME!"


	3. Chapter 3 Love and Hate

The Same

Book 1: Coming Together

By James Moore

Disclaimer: The characters in this story are not mine.

Chapter 3

Love and Hate

Kagome had just reached the field where the well was, when she heard InuYasha yell her name. Thinking he really was out to kill her, she jumped into the well and, as soon as she climbed out of the well in her time, she covered the well and put her own barrier on it to stop InuYasha from coming through it. As soon as she did this, she tried to climb up the stairs, but collapsed half way. Sitting on the stairs, she cried her heart out.

She didn't notice the light shining trough the cracks in the well as InuYasha came through, however, she heard him try to break the barrier she put on the cover of the well. Since she wasn't sure the barrier would hold, she grabbed her bow and knocked an arrow. After a few more attempts at breaking the barrier, InuYasha saw that he wouldn't get anywhere trying to do that. Not sure where she was, he yelled as loud as he could, "KAGOME?" He heard someone jump like they had been startled. He sniffed, and found out the person was who he was looking for. "Kagome! Let me out! I need to talk with you."

"N….No. Yo…HICK….u want to k….kill me"

"No, Kagome. I just want…."

"Yes, you….SNIFF….do. I kno…..HICK…..w you. When you want some….thing, you don't stop until you get it. HICKSNIFF"

Seeing that she was too scared of him to open the well, he decided to get out the other way. Since the barrier she put on the well only covered the wood, that meant that all he had to do way dig through the dirt next to him. It took him about 15 seconds to do this.

When Kagome saw InuYasha's form appear from a hole to the side of the well, she screamed. InuYasha spun to face her. He saw that she had cried and that she was shaking with fear. "Kagome." He took a step towards her. "I can't hurt him! But he wants to kill me!" Kagome's thoughts clashed. "Stay away," Kagome told him. He didn't listen. Taking a few more steps, he said, "Kagome, I……" She found her voice all of a sudden. "Stay away or I'll do what Kikyo did." She was so caught up in weather she could hurt him, that she didn't see InuYasha breach her defenses and embrace her.

Dropping her bow, Kagome struggled against his grasp. "Let me go!" Still fearful that he was going to hurt her, she doubled her struggling and began crying, her new claws cutting into him. Hugging her tighter, InuYasha whispered, "Shhh. I'm not going to hurt you. I could never hurt the one I love." Kagome stopped struggling when she heard him say that. "You mean that?" "Yes, I do. I love you." Kagome collapsed into InuYasha's chest. "Oh, InuYasha! I'm so sorry," she wailed into his chest. Placing his chin on her head, InuYasha rubbed her back and made soothing noises, waiting for Kagome to calm down.

15 minutes later, InuYasha realized she had fallen asleep. Gently picking her up, he carried her out of the well house and took her to her room. Kagome's mom saw InuYasha carrying her daughter to her room, and was about to ask what happened, when InuYasha said, "It would be easier to explain when she wakes up." She nodded, and let InuYasha take care of her daughter, since Kagome's grandfather and Sota were out. It was 5:00 in the afternoon.


	4. Chapter 4 Acceptance

The Same

Book 1: Coming Together

By James Moore

Disclaimer: The characters in this story are not mine.

Chapter 4

Acceptance

When Kagome woke up, she noticed she was in her bed. Looking at her alarm clock, she saw it was 8:52 PM. Sitting up as fast as she could, she looked for InuYasha. Hearing a moan below and to her left, she faced what had made the sound. InuYasha was kneeling by her bed holding her hand, asleep. She smiled at how cute and innocent he looked when he was asleep. Unfortunately, that didn't last long, as her sitting up caused him to wake up.

Seeing that she was sitting up, he looked up at her. "Kagome, are you ok?" Nodding her head, she said, "Yes." He smiled. "I'm glad."

His smile became a sad look as he looked at her face. Putting a hand where he had hit her, he said, "I'm SO sorry for hitting you. I didn't mean to hit you. Can you find it in your heart to forgive me?" He bowed towards her. At seeing this, Kagome giggled. "Yes, I forgive you, InuYasha." Faster than she could react to, InuYasha shot at her and hugged her tightly. "Thank you, Kagome," he whispered. Suddenly realizing something, he pulled her away. "Miroku and the others refused to tell me, so I need to ask you. Why did you decide to change into a half demon like me?"

Looking down, Kagome responded. "I didn't want you to change. I don't think I we could have remained a couple if you became a full demon, and becoming a human would take too much away from who you are. I love you the way you are now. I did this, so we could be together, no matter what. Also, so you wouldn't be the only one of your species anymore." She looked so sad. "I understand if you hate me for being selfish."

After a few seconds, she knew he was going to reject her. "You did this all for me?" Kagome dared to hope. Looking at him, she nodded her head. Pulling her into a loving hug, he said, "Thank you, Kagome. You don't realize how much this means to me. Thank you so much." Placing his head on hers, he held her close. Kagome felt so safe and warm in him arms. She didn't want it to end. His breathing tickled her dog ears, causing her to giggle.

"AHEM" Shooting apart, they looked at the intruder. It was Kagome's mom. She had a very confused look on her face when she saw Kagome. "Why do you look like InuYasha, dear?" "It was my choice. I love him, and I didn't want him to feel lonely anymore from being the only one of his species. Please don't try to change my mind on this. I won't change my mind."

Her mom walked up to her and, to her surprise, rubbed her ears. It tickled, but the teenage girl was too embarrassed to giggle. "_MOOOMMM,_" said a heavily blushing Kagome. Her mom couldn't help but giggle. "At least I know they're real." With that, she hugged her daughter. "I won't try to change your mind. I just want to wish you the best of luck with him."

"Thanks, mom." Thinking for a second, she said, "Inu-chan, how about you go take a bath while I tell my mom what happened? You're covered in dirt and mud." Blushing at the nickname, InuYasha said, "Sure." He paused for a few seconds. "Um…where's the bathroom?" Kagome laughed as she took him by the hand to lead him to the bathroom. Opening the door, she explained where things were. Just as she was about to leave so he could have some privacy, he grabbed her waist and, pulling her close, kissed her. When they separated, Kagome was blushing. InuYasha smiled and said, "See ya soon, Kags." Kagome blushed even more. Waving her hand, she left him to his bath.

When Kagome returned to her room, her mom was waiting patiently for her. When she saw her daughter's blush, she ask, "You really love him, don't you?" Her daughter nodded. Smiling, she said, "Good. I'm glad you found such a great person. Putting that aside for a moment, would you care to explain how this happened?" "Sure," and she launched into telling her mom everything that happened since noon, yesterday.

By the time InuYasha got out of the bathroom, Kagome's mother had left, satisfied with the story. With a towel wrapped around his waist, he made his way to Kagome's room carrying his clothes. Seeing her door open, he entered. Seeing her on her bed, looking at the ceiling, he cleared his throat to get her attention. She looked towards the door to see a half naked InuYasha. She blushed when she saw how well built he was. Seeing he had gotten her attention, InuYasha asked, "Where do I put my clothes?"

Standing up and getting some clothes that would fit him, she walked up to him and took his clothes down to the washing machine. On the way back to her room, she asked her mom if she could put InuYasha's clothes in the dryer when they were done washing, because she wasn't sure she'd be awake to do it. When her mom agreed, Kagome walked the rest of the way to her room. What she saw when she got there, caused her to turn around blushing fire-engine red. "_INUYASHA_"

When Kagome had taken his clothes and left the room, he waited a minute before he decided to start changing. He had just taken off the towel when he heard his girlfriend squeak, "_INUYASHA_" Startled, he turned to see Kagome looking away from him. "Oh my god, she saw me naked," he thought. Faster than the speed of light, he changed into the clothes Kags had given him to wear. With that done, he walked up to her and hugged her from behind.

"I'm sorry, Kagome. I didn't mean to embarrass you like that." After taking a few seconds to calm down, she finally managed to say, "It's ok. Just don't do that again any time soon." She turned to face him and kissed him. He returned the kiss, passionately. When they separated, both were gasping for breath. Looking at each other, they quickly returned to kissing.

Inuyasha, wanting a bit more intimacy, slipped a hand under her shirt and slowly moved it up, but as soon as his nails brushed against her breast, she pulled away. Kagome was afraid when she felt the nails against her breasts, so she pulled away from Inuyasha. She wasn't ready to take such a big step yet. Seeing the pained look on Inuyasha's face, she quickly tried to tell him. "I'm sorry, Inuyasha. I'm just….not ready for that kind of stuff, yet. I don't want to hurt you, in fact, I want the exact opposite. I love you very much, but could you settle for just being my boyfriend for right now?"

Very confused at her reaction, Inuyasha listened to her. "Um…..what's a "boyfriend", Kagome?" Startled for a second, Kagome remembered that they didn't have "boyfriends" and "girlfriends" in the Feudal Era. Trying to think of the best way to explain this to him, Kagome said, "A boyfriend and girlfriend are names given to 2 people who love each other, but aren't ready to make a commitment to each other. Its basically a midpoint between being friends and lovers."

Knowing what pushing her would do, he decided to go along with it. "Ok. I'll be your boyfriend." Seeing that he only half meant it, Kagome told him, "I know you want more, but I'm not sure I could handle that just yet. Remember, I've never had a serious relation before. I love you, and I don't want to make you feel unwelcome, so, please, take it slow……for me?"

He didn't understand what she was talking about, but he nodded and said, "Ok. For you, Kagome, I'll take it slow." Suddenly feeling very tired, Kagome went to her bed and laid down. It was 11:04 PM according to her clock. Lifting her head to look at her new boyfriend, she told him, "It's late. We should get some sleep." Nodding, Inuyasha sat next to her bed, with his back against the bed. "Inuyasha, that must be very uncomfortable." Kagome could tell that Inuyasha had thought he'd been rejected, so she decided on a way to show that she loved him and hadn't rejected him, but not in a sexual way.

"If you want, you can sleep with me." "Isn't that what I'm doing?" he asked coldly. "No. I meant sleep with me in my bed." His head jerked to look at her. "I thought you weren't ready for that sort of stuff," he said. His stare was like ice. It made Kagome shiver. "I'm ok with hugging and kissing, but nothing more. Do you want to sleep with me?" The pleading in her eyes soon cracked his icy stare. With a loving expression on his face, he accepted.

Scooting over and lifting the covers, Kagome allowed Inuyasha onto her bed. When he got settled, Kagome slid over to press her back against his side. Taking the hint, Inuyasha turned to Kagome and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close. Kissing her head, he took in her scent. "Man, she smells even better than before she changed," he thought as he began stroking her head.

Kagome felt so safe and comfortable in his hands, that she was half asleep before she remembered something. "Don't try anything," she mumbled. Whispering in her ear, he said, "I wouldn't think of it." "Yet," he added silently to himself. With that, Kagome drifted off to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5 Family Talk

The Same

Book 1: Coming Together

By James Moore

Disclaimer: The characters in this story are not mine.

Chapter 5

Family Talk

When Kagome woke up the next day, she was treated to the sight of her sleeping love, who had his arms wrapped around her. She just couldn't help but giggle a little at his cute face. "He looks so relaxed and open. I wonder if he'll be more open to me now that we're mates."

Her stomach gurgled ominously. Realizing she hadn't eaten since supper, 2 days ago, she tried to wiggle out of Inuyasha's grip. That only earned a tighter grip on her as the one holding her gave a moan of disapproval. Sighing, she did the only thing she could think of that could wake the dog demon. Her lips made contact with his.

Inuyasha woke up to his new mate kissing him. Returning the kiss, he thought, "You know, a guy could get used to waking up like this!" Releasing his hold on her, he looked at Kagome's beautiful face. "Good morning!" She said cheerfully. "Good morning, yourself," Inuyasha said with a smile. He didn't want to leave her just yet, so, after some quick thinking, asked, "Hey, Kagome. What do you say to taking a bath together? We need to look good for when we return to the past." Blushing at that thought, she nodded. "Sure, I'd love to."

Kissing her on the nose, Inuyasha got out of bed to get the towel he had used last night. Wrapping around himself, he told her he'd meet her in the bathroom. When he left the room, Kagome slipped out from under the covers and headed towards her closet. Grabbing a robe from inside and putting in on, she left her room and headed for the bathroom.

When she got there, Inuyasha had already laid 2 wash and rinse buckets out next to 2 stools. Also, he had filled the furor up already. Noticing she had arrived, he said, "I figure we could wash each other's back." A little bit nervous at that thought, she just nodded her approval. While washing each other, they both avoided looking at anything "special" the other had, but for different reasons. Inuyasha didn't look because he was afraid of his, what was the word, Girlfriend?'s reaction if she caught him. Kagome, on the other hand, didn't look, because she wasn't sure that she could hold her resolve about intimacy if she did look. After they finished washing each other, they quickly slipped into the furor and cuddled for a while.

It wasn't until Kagome's stomach gurgled again, that they even thought of getting out. Sighing, Kagome got up out of the furor and put the robe back on and wrapped her hair in a towel. Before opening the door, she looked over her shoulder at Inuyasha. "Wait here. I'll bring you your clothes, k?" He nodded at her.

Heading downstairs to the dryer, she took Inuyasha's clothes, which were lying on top of the dry clothes pile, and headed upstairs. As she passed the dining room, her grandfather called her. Turning and heading to the dining room, she entered to see her grandfather waiting for her, with Sota next to him. When she turned to her grandfather, she noticed the immense curiosity in his eyes. She wondered what he was so curious about.

Clearing his throat, he told Kagome what was eating at him. "Kagome, when Sota and I got home last night, your mother said that you had something to tell us, but that it would have to wait until today. What is it that you have tell us?"

Suddenly becoming nervous, Kagome looked for a way out of telling them or, at least, a way to get some support. Just then, she remembered that she had Inuyasha's clothes in her hand. About ready to smack herself in the head, she told them, "Could you wait for a minute? I need to give Inuyasha his clothes so he can get dressed."

Not catching what Inuyasha being naked meant, Sota asked, "Oh. Inuyasha's here? Think he might want to play?" Kagome's grandfather, however, caught on to what she said, and thought the worst. "No, he would not like to play. Kagome, get Inuyasha. I have some things to discuss with you two." Seeing her grandfather's fury, she quickly ran up the steps and straight to the bathroom.

Inuyasha, being his usual impatient self, was pacing back and forth when she entered. "There you are. What took you so long, Kagome?" Quickly handing him his clothes, she told him, "Hurry and put those on. My grandfather seems to have figured out what we've done, and he can be very protective."

"First of all, what thing that we've done, and second, why should I be afraid of your grandfather," asked Inuyasha in his usual arrogant voice. "We slept together. Here, parents get very protective if their child sleeps with someone they don't really know, and, though you have met my family, they don't know a lot about you. As for my grandfather, he's my "grandfather". I can't just up and disobey him. Besides, since he owns this shrine, he could throw me out of here, and I'd prefer to be able to visit my family." She stomped out of the bathroom. Just before she left, she called over her shoulder, "I'll be changing in my room. When you finish in here, wait for me OUTSIDE my room."

With annoyance written all over his face, Inuyasha knew they had to do this. Putting on his clothes, he cleaned the room up before he opened the door and headed for Kagome's room. Stopping as he reached her door, Inuyasha rested against the wall and waited. A few seconds later, Kagome emerged, wearing her usual school uniform and her hair still wrapped in a towel. She felt bad for snapping at him, so she apologized. "Inuyasha…..I'm sorry for snapping at you. This just came up so suddenly, that I wasn't thinking with my head." He knew she meant that, so he pulled her into a hug. "It's ok, Kagome. I know you sometimes do that. I forgive you. Now, lets go tell your gramps the news."

As they walked down the stairs, he could see Kagome visibly become nervous. When they entered the dinning room, her hands had started to twitch. Quickly hiding them behind her back, she walked over to her grandfather. Looking into his eyes, she asked, "What is it you wanted to talk to us about?"

When he saw his granddaughter's eyes, he was a bit taken back. "Umm…….Well, I……..Kagome, why are your eyes golden and not their usual brown?"

Kagome gave Inuyasha a sideways glance as he was cursing their bad luck. "Oh, goodie. Well, I'd better tell him before he finds out on his own," Kagome thought. She began explaining everything to her grandfather and Sota.


	6. Chapter 6 Suprise

The Same

Book 1: Coming Together

By James Moore

Disclaimer: The characters in this story are not mine.

Chapter 6

Surprise

When Kagome finished explaining what had happened, she removed the towel from her head and showed them her new ears and claws. Her grandfather just looked at her, his mouth gaping open. Sota, on the other hand was excited. "Yay. Now you two really are the perfect couple." Both of the teenagers blushed at this unexpected compliment. Gramps finally found his voice. "Sota, hush up. Kagome, you said you did this all so you could be with him?" He pointed to Inuyasha. Nodding her head, Kagome wondered what he was going to do.

"Its obvious that you love him." Turning to Inuyasha, he asked, "Boy, do you love her? Would you protect her with your life?" Inuyasha nodded to both questions. When gramps saw this, he nodded his head. "Then I give my blessing to you both. If and when you decide to marry, I will not object." This statement caught both Kagome and Inuyasha completely off guard. Hesitantly, Kagome asked, "You mean your not going to try to split us up?" Gramps shook his head. "No, I won't. You 2 have known each other for over a year, and you're a growing young woman. I trust your judgment. Besides, if you were willing to change for him and he still accepts you, then that means you both care deeply about each other."

"So, are you going to live with us, Inuyasha, or is my granddaughter going to live with you?" Both teens looked amazed. "Um….actually, we hadn't talked about that yet." Nodding his head in understanding, Gramps said, "I didn't think you would. Take a few days and talk it over with each other. I'm sure you'll come to the proper solution."

Kagome, who was surprised to say the least, finally caught that Gramps had given them full control of their relationship. She was jumping for joy inside. Though it took him a bit longer to figure it out, Inuyasha also caught on. Suddenly remembering something, Inuyasha turned towards Kagome. "Hey, Kagome? I just remembered that right before I left, I quickly promised to return to the past today. Do you want to stay here, or do you want to come with me?"

She looked at him like he had grown a second head. When she finally spoke, there was a hint of annoyance in her voice. "Yes, I'm going with you. I want to talk to everyone and get their opinion. Besides, I need to make sure neither you nor Sango kill Miroku if he tries to ask you what happened. You know him, he'd almost definitely come up with some perverted thoughts."

Inuyasha growled. "If he even tries something like that, I'll rip his head off." Sighing and shaking her head, Kagome said, "That's why I should come." Looking suddenly embarrassed, Inuyasha bowed his head. "Sorry, Kagome."

A smile grew on Kagome's face. "You know, your really cute when you aren't being a big macho jerk." Inuyasha gave his traditional "feh". "Anyways, getting back on topic, this is both of our decisions. Though, ultimately, the decision will be mine, your opinion matters greatly to me." Inuyasha had a big goofy grin on his face. "She really trusts me to let me guide her decision," he thought. Snapping back to reality, his goofy grin became a genuine one. "Ok. How's about we get ready to go back?"

"Sounds like a plan," Kagome agreed. "Good." Inuyasha kissed her nose and ran towards her room. "Race ya." Realizing that he had kissed her to distract her, she ran as fast as she could to her room. When she got there, Inuyasha stood in the door with a victorious smile on his face. "Ha! I win"

"You cheated! You kissed me to distract me." His smile got bigger. "All's fair in love and war. And I see no fighting." His smile was contagious. Smiling back at him, she thought of a revenge. Raising an eyebrow, she asked, "Oh? You sure about that," and with that she jumped at him, effectively tackling him. Planting a kiss on his lips, she quickly jumped off and back from him, outside her room. It was her turn to grin victoriously. "Ha! Now we're even."

Jumping back up, Inuyasha decided to play it her way. He jumped at her, intending to tackle her. Unfortunately, she dodged, causing him to run into a wall. She quickly ran into her room, holding the doorknob in her hand. Getting up, Inuyasha turned to Kagome and leapt at her again. She was going to slam the door shut, so he'd hit head-first into the door, but he was a little too quick.

He managed to slip inside her door before she shut it and stood behind her. Smiling, because he had Kagome cornered, he leapt at her again. Squealing in delight, she dodged him, but wasn't ready for his quick rebound off her door. He gently tackled her to the ground. After trying to escape his grasp for a few seconds, Kagome relaxed, laughing. Her laughter was contagious, causing Inuyasha to collapse on top of her, laughing too.


	7. Lime Chapter 7 Mated? Maybe Not

The Same

Book 1: Coming Together

By James Moore

Disclaimer: The characters in this story are not mine.

Chapter 7

Mated? Maybe Not

Inuyasha realized that he was laying on Kagome; on her breasts. He tried not to think about them, but he couldn't help himself. They were so soft, like pillows, almost. And her hair. It smelled so good. He couldn't help but get aroused, getting hard down "there".

Kagome was still laughing when she felt something weird near her hips. It felt like a heated iron rod. Realizing what it was, she tried not to push away as an image of her and Inuyasha in a sexual position. "It's just a normal male reaction to being close to a girl. Just try not to think about it. Remember your resolve." She tried to not think about what was pushing against her, but the more she did, the more images popped into her head. She was quickly becoming aroused as she felt her resolve disintegrating. More images popped into her head, causing her nipples to stiffen.

When Kagome had stopped laughing and became silent, Inuyasha froze, afraid of her reaction to their position. He knew she felt his manhood, as it had stiffened and got longer. He felt 2 points poking into his chest about where the middle of Kagome's breasts were. He just hoped that this wouldn't scare her away from him. He started to lift himself up off of her.

An itch had formed between Kagome's legs. She tried to relieve it by rubbing her legs together, knowing that that wouldn't relieve the itch and that the hot rod pressing against her would do the job. She began debating with herself whether or not to use it. When she saw Inuyasha getting up, she made her decision before she could start second guessing herself. The itch had become worse and she needed relief BADLY.

To say Inuyasha was surprised when Kagome grabbed him would be like saying electricity is fast. A major understatement. She pulled him to her and planted her lips on his and kissed him passionately. He was confused as to why she was acting like this, until he smelled her arousal. Figuring out why she was doing this, he decided to go with it and returned her kiss with just as much passion.

Kagome had to pull away for fresh air. Before she could kiss him again, he asked her, "Kagome. Are you sure you want to do this?" Before the more sensible part of her could do anything, she blurted out, "Yes. I don't want to wait anymore. I want you. I NEED you." She began taking off her shirt, but Inuyasha was a bit anxious, so he just ripped it off. Kagome didn't even seem to mind.

Taking off her bra, she tossed it away before taking Inuyasha's top off. Lifting herself, she kissed him again, but this time, his tongue pushed against her lips, entreating entrance. She allowed him through and their tongues began a fierce tug of war. With his mouth busy inside hers, his hands began fondling her breasts. When he pinched her nipple, a loud moan reverberated in her throat. They would have continued, had it not been for what happened next.

"Kagome?" It was Sota. Fear filled her as her more sensible side came back online. "Hold on a sec!" Tearing away from Inuyasha, she quickly grabbed a shirt from her dresser and put it on. Reaching the door, she opened it enough to look out at her brother. Still flushed and panting slightly, she greeted him. "Yes, Sota?"

Sota had a worried look on his face. "I heard weird noises coming from your room and I just wanted to make sure you were ok." Putting a smile on, she said, "I'm fine. The noises were just me moving some things around." "Oh. Ok." He didn't believe her. The noises he heard were not from moving things and, despite what everyone thought he knew, he had an inkling as to what they really were. "Well, that's all I wanted to know. See ya later!"

When her brother was out of sight, she closed the door and leaned against it, letting out a sigh of relief. Lifting her head to look at Inuyasha, she saw him looking down, as if he was ashamed. "Kagome, please forgive me. I didn't mean to push you like that. Please don't hate me." Lifting his head to look at her, he pleaded to her not to reject him.

Kagome gasped when she looked into Inuyasha's eyes. They were full of fear. Fear of loosing her. Her heart almost broke for him. Quickly crossing the distance between them, she enveloped him in a hug. "I forgive you. How could I not? I could never hurt you. I have only 2 things to say to you. First, unless I tell you that I want to have sex with you beforehand, if I start acting like that again, stop me. The second thing is this." Lifting her hand, she lightly tapped his nose. "Bad dog," she said with a grin. Inuyasha was confused at this act at first, but remembered how people train their pets. "I'm not your damn pet," he snarled. Kagome's smile disappeared. "Relax, Inuyasha. I was just joking." "Whatever," he mumbled as he turned slightly away from her, showing his displeasure. Sensing he was mad at her, she decided to change the subject. "So, Inuyasha, shall we get ready to go back to the past now or can we wait until tomorrow?" "We can wait until tomorrow."


	8. Interlude : Shippo

The Same

Book 1: Coming Together

By James Moore

Disclaimer: The characters in this story are not mine.

Interlude

Shippo

Shippo was bored. Inuyasha and Kagome were supposed to return today, but they didn't. He now wandered through the forest between the well and the village. He just wanted something to do. He had grown a lot stronger to help defeat Naraku, but now, there was nothing to do. Kagome was the only real fun person around. Sango would be tons of fun if she was more playful, Kohaku was fun, but most of his time was spent learning to become a demon slayer from his sister, and Miroku's idea of fun was not fun at all (sitting around watching girls). Shippo knew that girls were attractive, but he had yet to find a girl he thought was even cute besides Kagome, and she didn't count, because she's taken.

All Shippo wanted was a friend. Someone who would play with him. Someone like him. Someone who would keep him company. He sighed. Ever since Manten, one of the thunder brothers, had killed his father, he had been alone. Yes, Miroku, Sango, Kagome, and even Inuyasha took care of him, but he saw how Sango & Miroku and Kagome & Inuyasha cared for each other. Also, all four of them were more like parents to him. He had no friends his age. For the 384th time, he wished he had a friend his age.

He heard something. Listening carefully, he heard that it was some ONE he heard. It sounded like a girl in trouble. Running as quickly as he could to the sound, he reached a tree with its roots exposed from erosion. Trying to find the person, he listened, until he heard the girl crying, obviously scared. He caught sight of her. She was hidden in the exposed roots, trying to get away from something. He finally saw what the something was, some sort of wood demon with 6 limbs and sharp teeth. Smiling, knowing his foxfire would do the trick, now that it was much more powerful than before Naraku showed up.

He got ready to use the foxfire. Throwing the ball at the demon, it hit dead on. The demon burst into flames and turned into dust. Checking to make sure there were no more of those demons around, he walked up to the roots of the tree. Finding his way through the maze of roots, he stood in front of girl, who was now lying on her side with her arms covering her head. "Hey, are you alright?" The girl looked up at her savior. Weakly, she said, "Yes," as she stood up.

Shippo was surprised when he saw the girl. She was a fox-demon child like him. She wore a red kimono with white cherry blossom petals on it. She was a little bit shorter than him. Her hair was a little bit longer than his. Besides those differences, she looked like him. "Maybe she could be my friend" thought Shippo. "Hi, I'm Shippo. What's your name?" "Sakura"

"That's a nice name. What are you doing out here all alone?" The girl began crying when he asked that. "Both my parents are dead. That demon you just destroyed, killed them." Shippo was shocked. A nice girl like her didn't deserve to have both parents killed like his own. He did the only thing he could think of, comforting her.

Putting his hand on her shoulder, he said, "Its ok. My parents are both dead, too. Killed by one of the Thunder Brothers before they themselves were killed." Sakura looked at Shippo. "Really? Oh, I'm so sorry." "Thanks…….Hey, I got to get back to the village where I stay. There are people who take care of me who, I'm sure, wouldn't mind taking care of you, too. You wanna come?" A small smile crept onto Sakura's face. "Yes, I'd like a place to stay." "Ok. I'll take you there. You want to be friends?" The small smile she had on her face burst into a big one. "I'd love to be friends, Shippo-chan." Shippo couldn't believe his luck as he lead Sakura back to Keade's village. His wish of having a friend like him had come true.

They arrived at the village just before sundown. Quickly leading Sakura to where everyone was sure to be, he went into Keade's hut. Sure enough, Miroku, Sango, and Keade were all there. Getting their attention, Shippo introduced them to Sakura and told them of his heroic rescue of her. Listening to this, Miroku had a silly grin on his face. When Shippo was done talking, he leaned over and asked Shippo, "So, you finally got yourself a girl, huh, Shippo?" This resulted in him getting smacked in the back of the head by Sango. Almost yelling at him, Sango said, "Miroku! Get your mind out of the gutter. They're children, for Pete's Sake." "Anyways, what should we do about this Sakura? Take care of her like we do Shippo?" asked Kohaku. Sango's face became very bright and happy. "Why not? Wouldn't you like that, Shipp-" She stopped when she saw Shippo. Sakura and Shippo were asleep next to each other. The two of them looked so cute. Putting a blanket over the two, Keade said, "let these two sleep. Both have probably had a long day. Ye two should get some sleep. We'll talk about what to do in the morning.

End Interlude


	9. Chapter 8 The Return

The Same

Book 1: Coming Together

By James Moore

Disclaimer: The characters in this story are not mine.

Chapter 8

The Return

Kagome woke up the next morning in her bed. Sitting up, she searched frantically for Inuyasha. Seeing him asleep sitting up against a wall, she relaxed. For a second, she thought he might have left. Glancing at the clock on her bedside table, she saw that it was 7:07 in the morning.

Getting out of bed, Kagome went over to Inuyasha. "Hey! Wake up" He woke up with a little bit of a jump. "Good, you're awake. Now, lets get going. Everyone's probably worried since we didn't show up last night." Since Inuyasha didn't have anything to pack, he stood out of the way as Kagome packed her things. When she was done, she got ready to pick the pack up. She forgot about her new strength.

Lifting the pack with more force then was necessary, she fell forward. Just before she was going to hit the floor, she stopped. Confused, she looked up to see Inuyasha, who had caught her around the waist.

When Inuyasha saw Kagome fall, he thought that she had injured herself somehow. When he caught her though, he saw no pain in her face when she looked at him, just confusion. "Are you ok?" he asked. Embarrassed, she waved him off. "Yeah, I'm ok. I'm just not used to my new strength." "Ok" A look of deep thought came over Inuyasha's face.

Kagome was ready to go, so she told Inuyasha, "Well, ready to go?" He shook his head, still lost in thought. Sighing, she exited her room with Inuyasha on her tail. Stopping by the kitchen, she told her mom that she and Inuyasha were leaving and to expect them back soon. After that, the two continued on to the well.

About halfway to the well, Inuyasha came out of his deep thought. He had something to ask Kagome. "Hey!" "Yeah?" "Do you want me to train you?" "Huh? Train me? In what?" "In your new powers. You're going to have to get used to them. Besides, now that you have them, if we need to go somewhere fast, I'm not carrying you anymore" Unless you need or want me to he added silently to himself.

Feeling a bit nervous at that thought, she remembered all the things Inuyasha had to go through in the battles he's had. Not wanting to be trained like that, she asked him, "It will be safe training, not like the battles you have, right?" Inuyasha laughed a little at this. "No. No. It would be nothing like that. No intentional cuts or bruises." His look sobered "I could never do you harm like that."

They had arrived at the well. Kagome turned to Inuyasha and asked, "You ready?" He nodded. She offered her hand to him, which he took. They jumped into the well together. As usual, they were surrounded by pink light. When they arrived in the Feudal Era, Inuyasha let go of her hand and leapt out of the well. When he looked back in the well, Kagome was looking back at him with curiosity and a little bit of hurt written on her face.

"Come on, Kagome. Jump out." "What?" "We're starting your training. Now, jump out!" A bit worried, Kagome crouched down and jumped as high as she could. Suddenly, she was flying. With her bag on her back. She looked down to see how high she was, and instantly regretted it. "WAHHH. HOW DO YOU LAND!" She was about 20 feet from the ground when she felt Inuyasha catch her. When he landed, he put her down. "You land the same way you would when you were normal. It'll just take some getting used to."

Kagome nodded, and took a couple of second to calm down. When she was ready to go, she straightened up and asked, "Ready to head for the village?" "Sure am." She took his hand in hers and they walked together to the village, enjoying each others company.


	10. Chapter 9 Unexpected Visitors

The Same

Book 1: Coming Together

By James Moore

Disclaimer: The characters in this story are not mine.

Chapter 9

Unexpected Visitors

When Kagome and Inuyasha reached the edge of the forest closest to the village, they took a quick look at the village. They could see that a few people were up already. Jogging over to her hut, they were about to see if Kaede was up when she surprised them. They thought she would still be asleep. Being the village priestess, Kaede was supposed to be one of the first up each morning.

She had been going about her morning duties when she saw the two about to enter her hut. Walking quickly to them, she called out, "I see thee have returned. We were distraught that something had happened to ye both" Not expecting her to be up, both half-demons jumped in surprise. When they both wheeled around to face her, she continued. "Breakfast is almost ready. Will ye go and get the others?" Seeing as they had nothing else to do, Inuyasha and Kagome nodded.

Inuyasha headed for the hut where Miroku, Kohaku, Shippo and he had been staying, muttering something about "old hags". When he entered, he found Miroku and Kohaku, but Shippo was missing. Though he wouldn't admit it, he cared for the little runt. Kicking him with his foot, Inuyasha succeeded in waking Miroku up. "Hey, monk. Where's the runt?"

Miroku just chuckled. "That's some way to greet someone who had been expecting you yesterday and you never showed." "Whatever…..So where is he?" "He's asleep over in the girls' hut." "WHAT!"

This yell woke Kohaku. "I'm awake. What's with the yelling?" "Miroku says Shippo is sleeping with the girls." Miroku and Kohaku looked at each other. Turning back to face Inuyasha, Miroku said, "It might be better if we wait until everyone's present." Inuyasha grumbled about "lousy monks" for a few seconds before growling, "FINE" The three of them exited and headed to Kaede's hut for breakfast.

Kagome headed to the girls hut. When she arrived, she smelled something odd. Well, 2 odd smells. Not used to her new nose, she did the best she could. One smell smelled like Shippo, but why would he be in there, and the second was unknown to Kagome. A bit curious at the smells, she entered the hut.

As expected, she found Sango, but she also found Shippo and a girl sleeping against Kirara. Looking closer, Kagome noticed that the girl was, in fact, a fox demon. Tiptoeing as quietly as she could, she walked up to Sango. Tapping her on the shoulder, Kagome was expecting Sango to wake up, but she just continued on sleeping. Kagome was about to try again, when something hit her from behind. "KAGOME!"

"AHHHH!" Unfortunately, in the position she was in, Kagome couldn't keep her balance, and ended up falling on Sango, hence Sango got a big wakeup call. "Oooof" Kagome quickly got back up and apologized. "Oh my god. I'm sorry Sango!" Trying to catch her breath, Sango waved her off. Seeing Sango was ok, Kagome looked behind her to see what had hit her. Standing behind her was Shippo, who looked apologetic. "Sorry Kagome"

Sango sat up. "Its ok. No damage done." "Hey, Shippo? Who's the girl you were sleeping with?" "Her name's Sakura." At the mention of her name, Sakura woke up. "YAWN Good morning" Kagome smiled. She's just as adorable as Shippo. "The same to you. Hi! My name's Kagome," She introduced herself. Kagome continued, "Why don't we go to breakfast, and you can tell me about yourself, Sakura?" Both foxes immediately said, "Sure"

When everyone was ready, they all proceeded to get breakfast. They were only a few yards from their hut, when a vine lashed out. Kagome, who was leading the group, just barely dodged in time. Looking at what attacked her, she saw a group of 5 tree-like demons. They had pointy teeth and what seemed to be extendable vines with thorns on them. When one spoke, it was in a raspy voice. _"Give us the female fox demon, and we will spare your lives"_

Shippo stepped in front of Sakura. "No. She's my new friend, and I'm not letting a bunch of demons take her away. I will protect her from anyone who tries to hurt her" Kagome, who didn't have any weapons that she knew how to use, went and picked up Sakura, to protect her. Sango only had her katana on her, so she drew it. Shippo, seeing Sakura was protected by Kagome, moved up next to Sango and prepared his Foxfire. The demons were not impressed.

_"Very well. If you prefer to die, so be it."_ With that they charged, vines trying to grab Shippo and Sango. Firing off his Foxfire, Shippo managed to burn and kill 2 of the demons, before he was captured by the vines. The vines wrapped his arms to his sides, stopping him from using either his Foxfire or his illusions to attack. Sango was hard pressed just trying to deflect the vines of one of the demons with her katana, until a vine grabbed her leg and flung her against a hut, knocking her unconscious. Kirara, seeing her master felled, bounded to her side and, after transforming, defended her master. The only problem was that the demons just regenerated when cut or slashed, so Kirara couldn't destroy the demon, just stop it from getting to Sango

The last of the demons was approaching Kagome. With no weapons, all Kagome could do was back up and hold Sakura tighter. _"Now, die"_ The vines came shooting towards Kagome. She did the only thing she could think of at the moment. She turned around to shield Sakura. Kagome could sense the vines were about to hit her, when she heard words she was all to glad to hear. "Claws of Steel" She turned around to see Inuyasha and Miroku standing in front of her. She watched the vines crumple to the ground and turn to dust. She looked at the wood demon, thinking it was about to be destroyed, and saw a new set of vines grow from the demon.

"_So, more fighters. Its matters not. We can not be destroyed" _"Feh. Yeah right. Let's just see if you can't be destroyed by my _Tetsusiaga_. Miroku, check on Sango, then get Shippo." Miroku nodded and headed to Sango. Inuyasha drew his sword, leapt at the demon, and slashed him clear in half. "Ha. How do you like that!" Instead of dying, the two halves of the demon began growing to become 2 demons. _"We like that very much. You've added another number to our force"_ Inuyasha was flabbergasted. "What the hell! Why didn't you die?" The "leader" of the demons laughed. _"I told you. We can not be destroyed."_

"But they can be destroyed," Sakura informed Inuyasha, "With fire. I'd kill them myself, but my own Foxfire is very weak. You have to free Shippo!" Inuyasha understood, but couldn't go free the little fox himself, because he was defending Kagome and the girl fox demon. He yelled to Miroku, "Hey, monk. Forget Sango for a second and free the runt. Unless anyone here has fire handy, he's the only one who can destroy these things at the moment. Miroku reluctantly left Sango's side and charged the demon that was trying to suffocate Shippo. With his staff, Miroku slashed the vines holding the little fox demon. Guarding him while he regained his breath, Miroku asked Shippo, "Shippo. Did you hear what Sakura said and can you do it?"

Still gasping a little bit, Shippo said, "Yeah" Whew. If he had come any later, I would've been a goner. Creating 2 balls of Foxfire, the boy fox threw them at the demon who had caught him and the one trying to get to Sango, but fighting Kirara. They both burned and turned to dust. Creating another Foxfire ball, he threw it at the other demon, killing it, and leaving the leader the only one still alive. Miroku, Inuyasha, and Shippo surrounded the demon. Instead of Inuyasha asking the questions, Shippo took the initiative. Creating one last ball of Foxfire, he said, "Why are you after Sakura?" The demon just smirked at him. _"Wouldn't you like to know?"_ The demon charged the young fox, attempting to make a getaway, but Shippo didn't let him. Throwing the ball, Shippo watched as the lead demon burned, died, and turned to dust.

With the last demon gone, Inuyasha sheathed his sword. Miroku quickly went and checked on Sango along with a detransformed Kirara. Inuyasha and Shippo went over to Kagome, who was still holding Sakura protectively. Shippo asked, "Are you both ok?" Nodding, Kagome saw that the demons were gone and let go of Sakura. Sakura run to Shippo and hugged him, crying. "Oh, Shippo. I was so scared for you. You almost died" Blushing at the close contact between him and Sakura, he put his arms around her and said, "There, there. I'm alright and the demons are gone."

After Sakura had clamed down, Kagome knelt beside Shippo and Sakura. "Sakura?" The little girl looked up at her. "Why were those demons after you?" The girl looked down at the ground and muttered, "Because I'm the guardian of the _Miko Tsurugi_."

Grandpa Myoga hopped onto Kagome's shoulder. "Did you say the _Miko Tsurugi_?"


	11. Chapter 10 A New Weapon

The Same

Book 1: Coming Together

By James Moore

Disclaimer: The characters in this story are not mine.

Chapter 10

A New Weapon?

Before discussing anymore, everyone had breakfast. As soon as everyone was done, Inuyasha, being impatient, blurted out, "What's the _Miko Tsurugi_, and what's so special about it?"

Still sitting on Kagome's shoulder, Myoga thought for a second. "The _Miko Tsurugi_ is the very sword the priestess Midoriko used. It was said to be very powerful. If I remember correctly, like the _Tetsusiaga_, it transforms, but instead of transforming into a fang, it transforms from a rusted tanto to an elegant katana. It was said that, when transformed, one touch from the blade of the sword would instantly purify whatever touched it. Also, like the _Tetsusiaga_, it will only transform for a specific type of person, in this case, a powerful priestess."

"Now, if you remember, Midoriko had a lot of power. She could purify 10 demons under her own power. With the _Miko Tsurugi_, she didn't have to use her powers if she was fighting many low level demons. It was rumored that, like the _Tetsusiaga_, the _Miko Tsurugi_ had a special attack. This is all I know. Sango, is there anything you can add?"

Sango thought for a few seconds before saying, "Only this. Midoriko used the _Miko Tsurugi_ in her fight with the great demon, but it was thought to have been destroyed when it was not found after the battle. Now, Sakura, since you're the guardian, is there anything you can tell us?"

"Only what my mom and dad told me before they were killed. They were the guardians, but as soon as they were killed, the responsibility passed onto me. When Midoriko lost her sword, a fox demon took it. He realized that, if the sword were to fall in evil hands, the world would become very dangerous, so he and his children and their children have guarded it. He is my ancestor. You see, the story that anything the sword touches is purified when transformed is only half right. It all depends on who wields the sword. If a priestess wields the sword, the sword will purify anything it touches when transformed. However, if, say, a very powerful demon wields the sword, then the sword will turn whatever it touches into a pure evil version of what it touched."

The young female fox looked down at the ground. "I was there when those demons killed my mom and dad. She knew she was going to die, so my mother told me where the sword was hidden and to not tell anyone, unless they are truly good and would never think of using it for evil purposes." The girl broke down, still emotionally raw from her parent's death. Shippo hugged the girl to comfort her. It was then that he resolved to always protect her, no matter what, and let no harm come to her.

Miroku thought for a second, then asked, "Well, what about Kagome? Would she be able to wield the _Miko Tsurugi_?" "I don't know. I can tell she has the powers of a priestess, but how do you know she's truly pure of heart?"

"Um…well, the Shikon Jewel was entrusted to me to purify it." Kohaku input, "Yeah, and she never does thing in hatred or jealousy. Plus, unless they plan to hurt people, Kagome is nice to everyone. Even when I was under Naraku's control, she knew the real me wouldn't try to hurt her, so she always tried to bring me back." Everyone nodded their agreement. "Well, I suppose it would be proper to put her through the trail, then"

Inuyasha was worried when he heard that. By trial, he thought Kagome would have to battle some creature, so, even though she could use her bow, he worried about her getting hurt, if she lost her bow, even with her new powers. Putting a protective arm around Kagome, he asked, "What kind of trial?" "Not a physical trial. In the place that the sword is hidden, the sword itself is protected by a barrier that will ONLY allow people truly pure of heart through. The only thing is, if you are not truly pure of heart, then you're purified and removed from this realm." Inuyasha's grip tightened on Kagome. Trying to get him to relax, Kagome said, "Don't worry, Inuyasha. I'm sure I can pass that trial." Inuyasha's grip loosened slightly, just enough that Kagome could continue breathing.

"Well, if you're sure, then get ready to go. We will leave when you all are ready." The only people who really had to get ready were Sango and Kohaku, who both had to collect up their weapons. Once both were in their travel clothes and everything they'd need packed, the 2 rejoined the others. Inuyasha turned to Sakura. "Well, we're ready to go." "Ok, then follow me." They were about to set down the path, when Inuyasha stopped them. "Hold on. We are not going to be walking. Kagome, you will be running with me." "But that's not possible. Kirara can't carry 5 people." He snorted. "That's why you will be carrying Sakura and Shippo, and I'll be carrying Kohaku." Kagome looked thoughtful. "Oh. I guess that works. Come here, you 2." She picked up the 2 fox demons, while Kohaku climbed onto Inuyasha's back. Now that the traveling arrangements were done, the group set off on their next adventure.

End Book 1: Getting Together

Please review my first book. Tell me what you liked and did not like. Any suggestions on anything?


	12. Chapter 11 Training Part 1

The Same

Book 2 : The Good and the Bad

By James Moore

Disclaimer: The characters in this story are not mine.

Chapter 1

Training Part 1

Kagome was now running alongside Inuyasha at a high speed. Soon after the group had started towards wherever Sakura was taking them, Kagome got used to being able to run so fast and jump so high. It was actually kind of fun. It was exhilarating to feel the wind in her hair. She was having so much fun, she didn't notice it was getting dark. Inuyasha noticed, though, and called out to her. "Hey Kagome. It's getting dark. We should look for a place to camp. Also, junior here is starting to drool on me." He nodded towards Kohaku, who was asleep on his back

Snapping out of her thoughts, Kagome saw that it was, in fact, getting dark, so she agreed. Spotting a small clearing ahead, she pointed it out to Inuyasha. "That'll do." Heading there, Kirara was close behind. They stopped once they reached the clearing. "Hey Sango. Could you come get your brother?" Sango hurried over and carried her brother over to a tree and leaned him against it. Carefully, so as to not rudely awaken Shippo or Sakura (they were sleeping inside her pack), Kagome removed her pack. Setting it down gently, Kagome opened the flap to see the young fox demons curled up asleep. She hated to wake them, but she needed to get inside her bag for some food.

"Shippo? Shippo? Its time to get up." He stirred. "Huh? What'd we miss?" Kagome giggled at how Shippo was talking, seeing as he was still half asleep. "You didn't miss anything. We're just stopping to make camp for the night. I need you and Sakura to move, because I need to get some things from my bag." "Ok" He yawned. Turning to Sakura, he gently shook her. "Sakura? We have to move." She woke up. "What? Oh. Ok." They both climbed out, stretching. Kagome soon pulled out some food for them to eat.

After dinner, Inuyasha wanted to continue training Kagome. Kagome agreed with him. She was eager to learn about how to use her new body. "Ok. Tonight, we're going to work on your smelling. I could use everyone's help for this exercise." All agreed to help, since there wasn't much else to do. "Ok, Kagome. Here's what we're going to do. First, I need you to stand right here and close your eyes." She did as he told her. "Now, I'm going to be sending someone upwind of you. Without looking, I want you to try to identify who it is. Think you can do it?" Kagome nodded.

"Ok. Here's the first round" Kagome sniffed the air. Somehow, she knew it was a human scent. Also, she could tell it wasn't Sango, the scent was too musty. She couldn't tell if it was Kohaku or Miroku, until she caught a whiff of her love mixed into the scent. Remembering who had ridden on Inuyasha's back, she said, "It's Kohaku!" Inuyasha was a bit surprised she got it right, and so soon, but he blamed it on beginner's luck. "You're right, Kagome."

"Ok. Here's number two." Again, Kagome sniffed the air. This time, it wasn't a human scent, but a demon scent. Kagome smelled 2 human scents mixed in with the demon's scent, so this one was even easier. "It's Kirara!" Inuyasha was getting annoyed. She wasn't supposed to be so good. A small, evil grin appeared on his face as he thought of a way to stump her. "You got that one right. Since you seemed to be doing so well, I'll give you a challenge. This time, there will be two people, one on your left, and one on your right. I want you to tell me who is on which side. Up to it?" Kagome nodded.

"Ok. Here you go" Hesitantly, Kagome sniffed the air. There were two people in front of her. Both were human. Seeing as there were only two humans she hadn't identified, now all she had to do was determine which side Sango and which side Miroku was on. One of the scents, of course smelled similar to Kohaku, that being Sango's scent. Using that, she turned her head to the right and sniffed again. Sango's scent was slightly less as potent on this side. Making sure the wind wasn't messing up the scents, Kagome turned her head to the left and sniffed. As she expected, Sango's scent was more potent on this side. Excitedly, she said, "Sango's on my left, and Miroku's on my right.

Inuyasha really annoyed. Muttering, he said, "Dammit, she wasn't supposed to get that one" Kagome heard and shook her head. He seemed to like making thing hard. Surprisingly, she realized she liked it when he did. Still muttering, Inuyasha was saying, "Fine. This one will be almost impossible for her to figure out. If she gets this one, I'll kiss Miroku full on the mouth." Kagome had to stifle her laughter at that thought. She continued to pretend she hadn't heard him.

"Last one, Kagome. It's the same as the last one. Ready?" "Hai" "Ok. Here yah go." Wondering why this one was supposed to be so difficult, she sniffed the air once more. She smelled Shippo. She knew his scent, because it was still the same as before she transformed, now just stronger. Knowing Sakura was the other person, Kagome sniffed, trying to find some scent that set them apart. It was very hard to do, because they both were covered in her own scent. She continued sniffing, but could find anything.

Kagome was about to give up, when she smelled something. It smelled like….cherry blossoms? Mentally kicking herself, Kagome knew who the scent belonged to. It was part of Sakura's scent (hence her name). Doing what she did with Miroku and Sango, Kagome turned her head to the right. She smelled Sakura's scent. When she turn her head to the left, the scent was less potent. "I got it. Sakura's on my right, and Shippo's on my left." Inuyasha was astonished she was able to figure out who was where, with all those common scents on the both of them.

Kagome opened her eyes. Upon seeing she was right, she turned to her mentor, she asked for his attention. "What, Kagome?" "Don't forget to pucker up!" Kagome collapsed into a fit of laughter. Inuyasha realized what she was referring to and turned a good red in the face. "I wasn't serious, you know!" "Yeah, yeah" Kagome managed to get in between laughs. Her laughs subsided into giggling. "Are either of you going to tell us what's so funny?" asked Sango. "It's nothing," Inuyasha snapped. "Yeah. giggle nothing."

"If we're done here, I suggest we all get some sleep," Miroku said. Kagome yawned. "Yeah. I'm tired. Good Night!" She went off to her sleeping bag. Everyone else went off to their "beds" Kirara, Sakura, and Shippo snuggled up together. Sango and Miroku slept near one another, but not near enough that the monk could grope the teenage demon slayer, Sango made sure of that. Kohaku slept next to his sister. Finally, Inuyasha went up into a tree to sleep there. "Good Night, everyone," Kagome called to them all. They all replied the same.


	13. Chapter 12 Can

The Same

Book 2 : The Good and the Bad

By James Moore

Disclaimer: The characters in this story are not mine.

Chapter 2

Can't Sleep?

Even though she was tired, Kagome couldn't sleep. Suddenly being introduced into the new abilities she had, had left her anxious to learn more. She kept on sniffing the air, amazed at all the things she could smell. She tried to put a name to the smells. "That's the smell of the trees. There's the smell of burned wood from our fire. And are those roses I smell?" She was finally calming down and about ready to fall asleep when she heard it.

"Kagome?" Quickly, she sat up, looking for the speaker. It had sounded like Inuyasha, but there was no one near her. "Kagome. You're still awake. What's up?" This caused her to start. Whipping her head around frantically, she looked for Inuyasha. "Where are you, Inuyasha? I can hear you, but I can't see you." She heard him chuckle. "You forget. You now have sensitive dog ears. I'm still up in the tree I hopped into. With the dog ears, we could whisper to each other, and still hear one another crystal clear."

"Wow, I never realized how sensitive these ears really are. This is so cool. It's almost like we were using walkie-talkies." "Uh….Kagome. What's a walkie-talkie?" "Um……I guess a walkie-talkie is a box you can speak into, and a person holding a similar box can hear what you say. Even from a distance away." "Wow. There are a lot of amazing things in your time, isn't there?" "Yeah…." "Oh, wait. We got sidetracked. What's wrong?" Kagome sighed. "I just have a lot on my mind." "Wanna talk 'bout it?" "Yeah. Can I join you?" "Sure. Come on up."

Getting out of her sleeping bag, Kagome walked to the tree she smelled Inuyasha in. Not being able to see the branches clearly, she asked for help getting up. "Ok. Grab my hand," said Inuyasha, lowering his hand and offering it to her. Kagome could just barely see the hand in the light from the almost new moon. Taking his hand, Kagome thought of something. After climbing onto the branch, she asked the male hanyou next to her about what she had thought of.

"Hey, Inuyasha. I just realized. The new moon is a couple of days away, and that's when you transform into a human." Inuyasha was annoyed at the reminder of that, but was more confused as to why she brought it up. "Yeah? What about it?" "Well, now I'm a hanyou, too. We don't know when, if I have it, the time that I turn back to a human is." "Hmm…..well, I can tell you that you do have a time when you become human, all half demons do. And you're right. We don't know when your time is." Kagome leaned over and hugged him around his waist. "I hope mine is at the same time as yours is. It would be great if it was." "Yeah, that would be great……."

They sat in silence for a while, before Inuyasha broke it. "So, you still want to talk about what's on your mind?" Sitting back up, Kagome nodded. "I guess there are four things."

"The first is my now being a hanyou. I'm enjoying learning how to use my new body and I'm happy that we're the same, now. I'm just worried about some things that could happen, now that I am a hanyou. One is the way people will act around me. Though I know you'd never let them hurt me, I can't help but feel nervous. The biggest worry I have, though, is what would happen if I became a full demon. Unlike you, I don't have a sword that'll keep my demon side in check. I'm afraid I might hurt someone if I did go full demon." Wrapping her in his embrace with her back against his front, Inuyasha comforted her. "No, you'd never hurt anyone who didn't really deserve it. If you ever go full demon, I'll make sure you change back." Trusting his words, Kagome continued.

"The second thing on my mind is Shippo and Sakura. Shippo saved Sakura from the claws of death, and they've become friends. They, also, understand each other in a way no one here could. Both of them had all their family killed. Also, you saw how Shippo defended Sakura when those tree demons attacked. Somehow, I get the feeling Shippo cares for Sakura more than just as a friend. I'm just curious as to how their relationship will evolve." Pausing for a few seconds, Kagome gave Inuyasha some time to reply. "I'm with you on thinking Shippo cares for Sakura more than just as a friend and I'm curious about their relationship, too. I say, if Shippo really does like her, by all means, go for it." Inuyasha really did care for the little fox. Kagome smiled at his display of his feelings.

Continuing, she said, "The next thing is us. I love you, and I know you love me, too, but I don't know what will happen in our lives. I want to marry you, or mate as you would call it, but I also want to finish school and possibly go to college. No matter what choice I make, either you or I will suffer. I just don't know what to do." Inuyasha, who was still holding her in his embrace, tightened his hug. "I realize that Kagome, and that's why I'm not going to force you into any decision. If you really want to finish school and go to college, I'll wait." A few tears fell from Kagome's eyes. "Thank you, Inuyasha" Taking a few seconds to collect herself, she hugged her love's arms.

"The last thing is really bothering me. Call it a sixth sense, but I can feel that something big is going to happen real soon. It's not just anything big, its something big and EVIL. It might even be worse than Naraku. AND its going to happen to us." Inuyasha froze at that. It had taken all they had to defeat Naraku in the first place. No telling what it would take to defeat this evil Kagome was sensing. He realized that Kagome was crying and trembling with fear. He calmed her as best he could. Holding her against his body, he said, "Shhh. It'll be ok. We finally have each other now, and I'll obliterate anyone who tries to get in the way of us." He made soothing noises, which calmed Kagome. She had gotten so worked up, that she was exhausted. She fell asleep, enjoying the warmth from Inuyasha's embrace. Hearing Kagome's breathing as slow and even, he decided to get some shuteye of his own.


	14. Chapter 13 What Are We Going To Do?

The Same

Book 2 : The Good and the Bad

By James Moore

Disclaimer: The characters in this story are not mine.

Chapter 3

What Are We Going to do?

Sango was the first to wake up the next morning. Sitting up quietly, she managed to not wake up Miroku nor Kohaku. Standing up, she stretched. Stifling a yawn, she decided to see if Kagome was up. Walking over to Kagome's sleeping bag, Sango noticed something odd about it. Instead of being lumpy from holding someone, it was lying flat. Realizing that Kagome wasn't there and having not seen her, Sango panicked. She called out her companion's name. The call was enough to wake Miroku up.

Seeing the woman he loved in distress, he made sure she was ok. "What's wrong, Sango?" "I can't find Kagome!" "What! Lady Kagome is missing?" "It seems so." "We should get Inuyasha. He should be able to find her." Sango looked at Miroku like he was crazy. "Oh. What a great idea, except we don't know where he is." "Fear not, Sango. Inuyasha went that way." He pointed into the forest. "And he hardly ever moves during the night, so we just head that way, and we're sure to find him."

Sango was amazed. "You know, that's not a bad idea" The two of them headed into the forest and searched for Inuyasha and called out his name.

Inuyasha woke up to hear some people calling his name. He quickly identified them as Sango and Miroku. He would have gone to them to see what's up, but was too comfortable with Kagome on top of him. Closing his eyes, Inuyasha decided to let them come to him, while he dozed.

Sango was getting really worried. Kagome was missing, and they were having trouble finding Inuyasha. She was beginning to think they had been kidnapped (somehow), when Miroku called her to him. She walked quickly to where Miroku's voice had come from. She saw him and asked, "Miroku, what-" "Shhh." He put a finger to his lip, then pointed to a tree. In the branches was a sleeping Kagome and Inuyasha. Inuyasha's back was against the tree, and Kagome was leaning back on him. She giggled. They looked so cute, asleep together. "Perhaps we should let them wake up on their own," whispered Miroku.

"Too late." Both Miroku and Sango nearly jumped out of their skin. Turning, they saw that Kagome was awake and looking right at them. She tried to pull out of her love's hug, only to be pulled back with a moan of protest. "I'd come down and join you, but someone wants to pretend to be asleep." Inuyasha's eyes opened. "Awww, Kagome. How'd ya know?" Smiling, she kissed him. "Your breathing was different. Now, could you let me go?" Inuyasha laughed and let her go. "I'm glad you're using getting used to your new hearing."

Kagome jumped down off the branch and landed on the ground below, with Inuyasha following close behind. They walked over to Sango and Miroku. Sango was annoyed. "Kagome. Don't ever scare me like that again. I thought you had been kidnapped or something." "Then how do you want me to scare you." Everyone laughed a little at the weak joke. A rumbling came from Kagome's stomach. Putting a hand over her stomach, her face became bright red. This made the others burst into laughter. She smiled sheepishly. "I think Kagome's trying to tell us she's hungry," chuckled Miroku.

Calming down, the group headed back to camp. Inuyasha and Kagome lagged behind so they could talk privately. "Kagome, about last night, I think we should tell the others about the evil you fell." "Yeah, I think so, too. My only worry is how they'll react." "Yeah. Me, too."

They arrived back at camp soon afterwards. Kagome cooked the breakfast while Miroku and Inuyasha woke the others. There was an eerie quietness while they ate. Inuyasha and Kagome were worried about how to tell them what Kagome was sensing. The others were wondering what was wrong with the two of them. They were continually fidgeting and were barely eating. Shippo stood up, about to leave, when someone cleared their throat. "Hey, runt. Sit back down. Kagome and I have something to tell you all." He turned to Kagome and nodded, signaling her to begin. Everyone turned to face her.

"Just a warning, brace yourselves. Ever since yesterday, when we started this journey, I've been sensing that something's going to happen soon. Something bad, and directed at us." She looked at everyone's face and saw how serious they were being. She just hoped they could handle what was next. "That's not all, though. I also sense that the one that is behind the event is an evil being." She took a deep breath. "An evil being that feels a lot like Naraku, but stronger." She didn't even have to focus her hearing to hear the sharp intakes of breath.

"What?" asked Shippo. "You heard her, runt. There's a demon stronger than Naraku who, apparently, has a grudge on us or something." The only movement was Sango, who grabbed Kohaku and held him protectively. Miroku finally broke the silence. "So, what are we going to do about this?" "We're going to get that sword, then hi-tail it back to the village, where we'll train as hard as we can so we can kill the demon." Kagome's stomach tied into a great big knot. It's not a demon she thought, and that's what worried her the most.


	15. Chapter 14 Retrieving

The Same

Book 2 : The Good and the Bad

By James Moore

Disclaimer: The characters in this story are not mine.

Chapter 4

Retrieving

Everyone's things were quickly packed and ready to go. They set out to retrieve the Miko Tsurugi, which was luckily not very far away from them, according to Sakura. Now that they knew about the evil being that was apparently after them, they wanted to get back to familiar territory, quickly. It was dangerous being in unfamiliar land.

It took them less than an hour to reach their destination. It was a large rock. Inuyasha was pissed. "Dammit, girl. Where's this sword?" "Inuyasha. SHUT UP!" snapped Kagome. "Thank you, Kagome," said Sakura. "The sword is in there." She pointed to the rock. "So how the hell are we supposed to get it out?" "By using the entrance." "You stupid bitch. There is no entrance." Sakura remained calm. Someone would have to. "There is an entrance. You just don't see it." Walking up to the rock, she remembered what her father had said about how to make the entrance appear.

Walking around the rock, she looked for the marking. She found it about halfway around the rock. It was a sideways hourglass with circles inside the 2 triangles. Turning to Kagome, she asked "Are you ready?" Swallowing, Kagome nodded. "Yes." "Ok. I'm opening the entrance." The little girl fox placed a hand in each circle. The circles glowed yellow and a hole appeared next to the marking.

Kagome walked up to the hole. Looking inside, she saw a shrine with a sword in the middle of the room. Taking a big breath, Kagome stepped inside. As soon as she did that, she was surrounded by a bright light. Suddenly, she was reliving her life. Every second and every emotion of it. Only it was as if it was on super fast forward. She realized this must be the "trial" Sakura had talked of. It was ok with her, until she got to when she first came to the Feudal Era. From that point on, she was on an emotional roller coaster. Love, annoyance, hate, confusion, pain, betrayal, amazement, suffering. She felt these and more in the order they happened in the past. Kagome couldn't keep up with how fast the emotions came at her. Her knees buckled and she fell to the ground, clutching her head. She wanted it to stop. She began crying.

When Kagome had entered the hole, Inuyasha thought the bright light was from her passing through whatever barrier was there. When she just stood there, he wondered if she was just admiring something inside the rock shrine. A few seconds later, she began trembling. A few seconds after that, she collapsed onto her knees, crying. He knew then, that something was wrong. Something was hurting his Kagome. He rushed forward to go to her aid. "STOP" Inuyasha did and looked at the girl fox demon. "Step inside, and you'll be purified. Don't worry. She is taking the trial I had mentioned before." He growled at her. "You said that no harm would come to her!" "No, I said no PHISICAL harm would come to her. The magic inside the shrine is checking her out, making sure she is truly pure of heart. To do this, it has to replay her life in front of her, causing her to feel every emotion she felt from everyday. When that is done, the magic will judge her. Don't worry. She'll be alright."

Kagome was desperate. She just wanted the memories and emotions to stop. She was crying her heart out. Finally, the memories ended. She returned to reality, feeling emotionally raw, but oddly refreshed. That trial had basically taken any pent up emotions she had and helped her release them. She calmed down and stood up. Then she heard a voice in her head. "You have been tried and found pure of heart. You may take the sword of Midoriko."

She walked to the center of the room and picked up the sword and it's sheath. She turned and walked to the exit. She saw Inuyasha standing outside, and walked quickly to him, wanting to feel secure in his arms. As she finally stepped out of the shrine, something happened. She suddenly glowed with a bright pink light, as her sword glowed a yellow light. She collapsed, unconscious, her momentum taking her straight into Inuyasha's arms.

Inuyasha shook her, trying to get her to wake up. Sakura, seeing Kagome was outside, removed her hands from the circles. Quickly walking towards Kagome, she asked, "Is she ok?" Inuyasha whirled around furiously and yelled at the girl, "What the hell happened. What did that thing do to Kagome." "Calm yourself, Inuyasha," said Miroku as he walked up to him. The monk closed his eyes and focused on the unconscious girl's energy. What he found, surprised him. Opening his eyes, he said to Inuyasha, "Don't worry, she's only in a trance." Inuyasha was very worried about Kagome, so he yelled at the monk. "What the hell would make her go into a trance?" "It seems that Midoriko wanted to pay her a visit." Inuyasha stared at him. "What?" "It seems that Kagome is now housing Midoriko's soul, along with her own."

Sango joined the conversation. "How is that possible, Miroku?" The monk thought for a couple of minutes, before saying, "My guess would be that the Miko Tsurugi reacted to the energy of its owner, resulting in Midoriko's soul being pulled from the Shikon Jewel." Inuyasha asked, calmly, "So, what do we do?" "We wait until Kagome comes out of the trance. There's really nothing we can do until then." The hanyou sighed. He hated waiting.

"Come on. We should head back to the village," said a sad hanyou. Turning to the little fire cat at Sango's feet, he asked, "Kirara. Can you carry Miroku, Sango, and Kohaku?" The cat meowed an affirmative. "Good. I'll be traveling ahead." Inuyasha went over to Kagome's back pack. Setting his love gently on the ground, he picked up the bag and put it on. Scooping Kagome back up, he got ready to head out. He was stopped by Kohaku. "You can't do that. What if what Kagome was sensing happens while you're traveling without us? Its too dangerous."

Inuyasha was mad. It was safer in the village then here, and Kagome needed to be somewhere safe. He pushed the young teenage exterminator out of the way. "Look. I'm taking Kagome to the safest place I know. If anyone tries to stop me, I'll crush them." Seeing that as a threat, Kohaku gave up. Miroku and Sango knew to stay out of it. Inuyasha turned to the little fox demons. "Well, are you 2 coming or what?" They both eeped a yes and scrambled into the bag for the ride. The hanyou sped off as fast as he could. Sango sighed. "Well, we should follow and get back to the village as soon as possible. Miroku and Kohaku nodded and got ready.


	16. Chapter 15 In Kagome

The Same

Book 2 : The Good and the Bad

By James Moore

Disclaimer: The characters in this story are not mine.

Chapter 5

In Kagome's Mind

"Wha… Where am I?" Kagome was surrounded by trees. It didn't look like anyplace she knew. I should wait for Inuyasha and the others to come. It wouldn't do us any good if I got lost She sat down next to a tree and leaned against it. Closing her eyes, she thought of what happened before she blacked out. The trial she had to go through was over, and she was allowed to collect the Miko Tsurugi. She had gone and picked it up. She had been going to the exit, saw Inuyasha, and ran towards him. She had just exited the rock-shrine, when there had been a bright light. Then, darkness.

"Excuse me, are you ok?" The voice startled her. "Yaaah!" She jumped away from the tree, landing on her butt, and stared at the person. It was a woman of about 20 or 25. She had long black hair, similar to Kagome's. Also, she was wearing an old style armor that Kagome had seen before, but from where eluded her. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. You were here alone, and I thought you might need some help." The woman bent down and offered Kagome her hand. Kagome took the hand and let it lift her up. When in contact with the woman's hand, Kagome had felt a power that was familiar, but she knew it wasn't of anyone she'd met.

"Nah. I'm ok. Just waiting for some friends to get here," said a smiling Kagome. A worried look came across the woman's face. "You don't know?" Kagome wondered what she meant. "Know what?" "We're in your mind." "Wha…..What do you mean "in my mind"? How'd that happen? Who are you?" A small smile flickered on the woman's face. "Even though we've never met face to face, you do know who I am. I am a priestess, like you." "Huh? That's impossible. The only two priestesses I know are Kikyo and Midoriko. Kikyo is dead and Midoriko is in the Shi……Wait. Are you Midoriko?" The smile got bigger. "Yes" "How's that possible?"

The smile faded. "You know the story of the fight between that great demon and me. Also, you've heard how both it's soul and mine were trapped inside of the Shikon Jewel. Well, when you picked up my sword, the Miko Tsurugi, it reacted with the power of my soul in the jewel, pulling it out of there, and now we're here. All that time I was in there, I was aware of the outside world, so I know about you and Naraku and events. Since it seems like you need help, I offer to teach you to use my sword and teach you how to use your powers like I did."

"What? You mean teach me to purify a demon's soul, like you could?" Midoriko nodded. "Sure. I'd love to. Only problem is that I don't think we'd have enough time to do that." Again, Midoriko smiled. "You obviously don't know about the mind. In here, we can take as long as we need. Time in here is different from time outside the mind. Are you ready?"


	17. Chapter 16 The Attack

The Same

Book 2 : The Good and the Bad

By James Moore

Disclaimer: The characters in this story are not mine.

Chapter 6

The Attack

Wind whipping through his hair, Inuyasha hurried back to the village, hoping not to run into any demons. Shippo and Sakura were inside Kagome's pack. Luckily, there was enough room to sit up. Since Inuyasha was so concentrated on running and Kagome, they took turns being lookout. It was Shippo's turn, and he was bored. To pass the time, the two conversed.

"…….I dunno. So, did you have any friends or other family before you were attacked by those demons?" "No. Mama and papa said I couldn't make any friends, unless I was willing to sentence them to death." "Then why'd you make friends with me?" "Well, at first, it was to have a place to stay and rest a while. Afterwards, I was going to leave and continue to fend for myself. But then, I saw how powerful your friends are, so I decided that if they would accept me, that it would be ok to stay. That's when I decided to truly become friends with you" She placed her hand on his knee. "And I'm really glad I did."

Shippo developed a blush on his face. Not knowing what to say, he said what first came to him. "I like you, too. I-" He saw movement outside the pack. Turning his head to see it, Shippo saw a demon quickly gaining on them. He needed to warn Inuyasha. "Inuyasha! Look out! Behind you!"

The dog demon had just enough time to look behind him and twist, dodging the newcomer's swipe at him. He landed in a small clearing, quickly took the pack off, and propped Kagome up against it. Shippo and Sakura quickly got out of the pack and got in a defensive position around Kagome. He turned to face the newcomer, who had also landed in the clearing. It got into an attack position, claws out. It took a step towards them.

"Who the hell are you and what do you want?" The demon just smiled and said, "Wouldn't you like to know?" The demon charged at them. "Fine. Looks like I'll have to beat it out of you." He drew Tetsusiaga. Waiting for the demon to get close enough, Inuyasha drew the sword back, transforming it. When the demon was in range, he slashed vertically. It hit, but instead of slicing the demon, the demon stopped it with his claws. Dropping one, the demon jabbed out for Inuyasha's heart. Inuyasha jumped back just in time, earning only a rip in his shirt and very shallow punctures on his chest. He landed a couple of feet away. Guess I'll have to use a windscar. He powered his sword up and swung, releasing 4 parallel blades of light at the demon. Instead of staying put like a good little demon should, the demon jumped to the side, effectively dodging the attack.

Damn. This guy's good. I guess I'll have to attack him to get anywhere He charged the demon, this time going for a horizontal swing, about where the demons neck was. He swung, but the demon blocked his swing, again. This time, he didn't move in time, and the demon slashed his face. "AGGGGGHHHHH!" Shippo ran to him, hoping to help. He had just gotten over to Inuyasha, when he was kicked in the stomach and knocked back to Kagome. Sakura went to his side. "Shippo! Are you ok!" He couldn't speak, because the wind was knocked out of him.

Inuyasha lashed out at the demon upon seeing him hurt Shippo. "Damn you. Damn you to hell. I'm the one you're fighting. So, fight me." "Fine. I was going to just take the girl and leave, but if you're so eager to die……" Inuyasha charged him. "Bastard. I will never allow you to take Kagome." The demon smiled evilly. "Care to test that?" "What?" The demon had disappeared. Looking left and right for it, Inuyasha saw it reappear beside Kagome. Sakura quickly jumped between them. "No. I won't let you hurt her."

"You shouldn't worry about her so much as yourself." With that, the demon punted her into a tree 50 feet away, leaving a fairly deep impression of the fox demon. Inuyasha was furious now. "You wretched bastard. DIE!" He ran at the demon, but the demon just scooped up Kagome and took off into the forest. Inuyasha, seeing this, ran after him, sheathing his sword. "Coward! Get back here!" Inuyasha was running as fast as he could, but he soon lost visual track of the demon. DAMN. This demon's too fast. "KAGOMEEEEEEE!"

Kagome heard someone calling her name. She had just finished her training under Midoriko, and she knew everything her teacher could teach her. Midoriko had told her that her friends needed her help, so she left, going back into the Shikon Jewel, allowing Kagome to awaken. She had done so, to see an unfamiliar demon carrying her. The demon apparently noticed this, and said, "Good. You're awake. Master Naraku will be greatly pleased that I have captured you." No. If he is alive, I will not be captured by him. Trying out one of her new powers, she reached out for the demon's soul. Finding it, she then manipulated it, hence purifying it. The demon let out a short yell, before disintegrating into dust. At the speed it had been going, Kagome dropped to the ground, and slid on her butt a good 15 feet, over rocks and roots. Her butt was now severely soar, making it near impossible to sit up, much less stand. Knowing that, she stayed put for either Inuyasha to find her (she knew it was him who's call had awoken her), or her butt to heal and she could find him.

Turns out Inuyasha found her first. First thing he asked was, "Are you alright? What happened to the demon?" She was just "slightly" annoyed at waking up to find that she had been captured. "No, I'm not alright. I awoke to find a demon kidnapping me. I used a new power I learned, and purified the demon's soul. Meanwhile, WHERE THE HELL WERE YOU?" Inuyasha's ears flattened against his head at the intensity of her yell, as he cringed away from her. He bowed before her. "I'm sorry. He had attacked us, then grabbed you. I ran after him, but he was too fast for me to catch." Kagome was still mad, and the demon aura surrounding her made Inuyasha start scotching away from her. She stood up. "And why didn't you just kill him? HMMM?" Inuyasha could swear he felt fire coming from Kagome's mouth. In a very small voice, Inuyasha managed to say, "He dodged the windscar and blocked my attacks." He pointed to his face, where the cuts were still healing. His voice got bigger. "And look what I got for it."

Kagome's anger immediately snuffed out. She appeared at his side. "Oh. Inuyasha. Are you ok?" "Feh, they're nothing." He winced when he tried to sneer. Kagome's anger came back full force, along with some sadness. "SIT! Can't you ever admit when you're in pain?" As soon as the subduing spell wore off, she hugged him. Tears were running down her face "It hurts me every time you do that, knowing you can't use your arm or you can barely stand or your face was nearly ripped off. Can't you trust anyone, even me?" Inuyasha immediately felt bad. He hugged her. "I'm sorry, Kagome. What can I say. "Old habits die hard"." A laugh broke through the girl's tears. "Oh, Inuyasha." He gently pulled her chin up to face him. Wiping some tears away, he said, "Now dry those tears. Shippo and Sakura were hurt, and we need to help them."

Kagome bolted up, sniffed the air and listened for a sec, before taking off towards the clearing. Inuyasha caught up. "Hey, what did you mean, new power?" "New powers," she corrected him, "It's complicated. Midoriko taught me." Inuyasha nearly tripped. "M…Midoriko?" "Yeah. Like I said, it's complicated." They emerged from the forest to see Sakura sitting down on the ground, cradling her arm with a frantic Shippo checking her for injuries. Shippo, upon seeing the two, ran to them. He was wheezing. "Kagome. You've got to help Sakura. Her arm's broken." This is a perfect opportunity to try out another new power, thought Kagome. She walked quickly over to Sakura. Shippo was confused by this. "Kagome? Don't you need your "first aid" box?" Kagome ignored him.

Gently, Kagome pulled the arm out of the girl's protective grasp with both of her arms. This earned a few whimpers of pain from the injured girl. "Now, Sakura, what I'm about to do will feel painful, but it will help. Try to keep still." Sakura nodded and tried to brace herself. Kagome, seeing she was as ready as she'd get, closed her eyes, and focused her powers on the girl's arm. "Seeing" where it was broken, she used her power to move the bones back to where they were supposed to be and fused them back together. All the while, the girl was screaming from the pain, but didn't move. When Kagome was done, she felt very tired. She swayed back and forth awhile, her eyes jumping between being focused and unfocused. Having to use so much of her powers in 2 very close periods, she was now very weak, and collapsed, asleep.

Sakura realized that, whatever Kagome had done, was over. She felt no pain from her arm now. She experimentally tested it, finding it to be as good as new. Shippo was at her side. "Are you ok, Sakura?" She flung her arms around him. "Yes. Thank you and your friends for caring so much about me. I probably would have died by other demons if you and Kagome hadn't healed me." Shippo blushed. "I didn't heal you. That was all Kagome." The newly healed girl smiled. "Yes, but you cared enough to get help, even if it was so close." She kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you so much" Shippo had now developed a heavy blush and was stuttering. "I…um….well, you see…." Sakura giggled at his apparent helplessness. She was about to take his hand to help him, but they heard a body hit the ground. They turned to see….

"Kagome" Inuyasha rushed to her side, upon seeing her collapse. The two foxes just stood beside him, waiting to see if they could help. He checked her. Good. She's still breathing. "She's still alive, you two, so relax." Hearing this, both their shoulders obviously sagged. A few seconds after, Sakura began pulling Shippo away, taking them far enough to have some "alone time", but close enough to help Inuyasha and Kagome, if they needed help. Once they were gone, Inuyasha looked down at the girl asleep in his hands. In the setting afternoon sun, her skin glowed, making her look like an angel (A demon angel, weird, I know). WAIT. The setting sun? SHIT.


	18. Lemon Chapter 17 The New Moon

The Same

Book 2 : The Good and the Bad

By James Moore

Disclaimer: The characters in this story are not mine.

Chapter 7

The New Moon

Shit. The sun's setting, and tonight's the new moon. Damn it. Why, whenever something really important happens and I need to protect someone, does this always happen. I fucking hate it! Knowing there was nothing he could really do about it, he sighed. The sun had almost set, with just a sliver of the ball still above the horizon. Quickly, he got out Kagome's sleeping bag and laid her on it. He looked at Kagome, hoping to distract himself from what was about to happen. He felt, more than saw, the sun set, as he got ready to transform.

He noticed something odd about Kagome. Something was different. Looking over her body, he found out what was so strange. Her ears. They were shrinking. They finally disappeared into her hair, as two a lump grew on either side of her head underneath her hair. The wind blew, revealing 2 human ears. He felt as Kagome's body became more petit. He looked at her hand, which he had been holding, and watched it grow smaller, becoming a more feminine hand, with short nails, not claws. He stared at her hand, until he noticed his own. It was now a human hand. It finally struck him what had just happened. Kagome becomes human at the same time as me He hugged Kagome in his joy, waking her up.

She first noticed that it was night, then that someone was hugging her. She saw someone with long black hair which, along with the red clothes, looked very familiar. "Inuyasha! You're human!" "It's the new moon tonight, and if you look, you'll see you're human as well." "What!" Her hands quickly felt her head, and found ears, not on the top, but on the sides of her head. Seeing her hands were human again, she hugged Inuyasha, kissing him straight on the lips. While surprised at this, Inuyasha quickly recovered and kissed her back. A few seconds later, he broke the kiss and started kissing her neck.

Getting lost in the moment, Kagome moaned and tilted her head for easier access. Inuyasha started getting hard and Kagome felt it. Instead of pulling back, she stayed in the position she was in. Images and feeling that she had seen/felt from that "trial" began to flash through her mind, as she realized how much she actually loved Inuyasha. She made her decision.

Inuyasha, feeling Kagome tense, stopped and pulled back. "I'm sorry, Kagome. I-" She placed a finger on his lips. Taking his hand in hers, she placed his hand on her breast. Shuddering at the feeling for a second, she looked into his eyes and said, "Inuyasha, I'm ready." His eyes boggled for a couple of seconds, before he took his hand off of her and asked, "Kagome, are you serious? You do realize if we do this, you will be mine and there will be no backing out?"

Kagome began second-guessing herself, but quickly mentally slapped herself, telling herself that she had made a decision, and she'll carry through with it. Rigorously, she nodded her head. Inuyasha wanted to make sure she wouldn't regret this later. "Are you sure?" To show him she was really ready, she took off the neckerchief and unbuttoned her shirt, revealing herself to Inuyasha (purposely, this time). Inuyasha suddenly pushed her back onto the sleeping bag, planting a kiss on her this time. The sudden attack excited Kagome.

She returned the kiss and continued kissing him as things began heating up. Inuyasha felt 2 lumps poking into his chest, so he felt for what they were. He found the lumps were Kagome's nipples. Wanting to hold Kagome's breasts in his hands, he tugged at her bra, trying to take it off. He made several attempts, all of which failed, before he began growling. Kagome knew what the growl was for, and giggled at Inuyasha's frustration. Bringing her hands behind her, she undid the clasp on the bra. Inuyasha pulled again, removing the article of clothing, and revealing Kagome's breasts.

Inuyasha broke the kiss to look at her now. He gasped when he saw what he had just uncovered. Her breasts were perfect. Perfectly round and beautiful. He cupped them in his hand and pushed the nipple on the right on. Kagome moaned. He tried the same thing on the other breast, getting the same result. He began rubbing his thumbs over them, getting a bigger reaction from her. He needed to silence her, otherwise Shippo and Sakura would come over, so he kissed her, muting her moans.

Kagome was feeling a bit light-headed. Oh, god. Just him touching me like this feels SO GOOD. Inuyasha broke the kiss to warn Kagome before he continued. "Kagome, we need to be quiet, lest we get Shippo or Sakura's attention. Understanding what he meant, she grabbed the nearby neckerchief and stuffed it into her mouth. Seeing she was successfully muffled, he continued. Moving down her body, he stopped at her breast. Picking one, he hesitantly licked the nipple. Liking the taste, he licked it again and again, sucking on it. Kagome felt a great heat between her legs. As loudly as she could, muffled, she moaned.

Kagome began squirming as the heat intensified. Seeing Kagome needed some "help", Inuyasha quickly undressed and then took off Kagome's skirt and underwear. Kagome just waited for him to do it. He positioned himself over her and entered her. She was so tight. He started pumping into her, intensifying their passion. Inuyasha thought, "Hell with it. I don't care if anyone hears." He yanked the neckerchief out of Kagome's mouth and passionately kissed her. She eagerly returned the kiss.

Kagome felt something big coming, as did Inuyasha. They continued their actions, until they came, together. They stayed where they were, bathing in each other's warm embrace. A few minutes later, Kagome started shivering, so Inuyasha pulled the sleeping bag over them. Warm again, Kagome soon fell asleep, with Inuyasha not far behind.


	19. Chapter 18 Wake Up Call

The Same

Book 2 : The Good and the Bad

By James Moore

Disclaimer: The characters in this story are not mine.

Chapter 8

Wake Up Call

"Are we there yet?" Miroku asked for the 100th time.

Sango, extremely frustrated but trying to keep her cool, said, "No."

Five minutes later, "Are we there yet?"

"No"

Five minutes later, "Are we there yet?"

The last straw. THWACK Miroku now sported a large bump on his head, compliments of Sango's Hiratsu. "NO. Now SHUT UP."

A minute later: SMACK Now, Miroku had a red palm mark on his face. "Hey! I didn't say anything!" "No, you didn't, but you were feeling me up again. Feel lucky Kohaku's with us, otherwise you'd be beaten to a pulp." Miroku decided it would be best to keep his mouth shut and his hands to himself.

Kirara just shook her head at the way her mistress and the monk acted. She concentrated on where she was going. She sniffed the wind, to make sure she was going the right way, and caught some familiar scents. With a warning growl, she turned to the scents and got ready to land.

Sango, seeing Kirara change directions, leaned next to Kirara's ear and asked her, "Kirara? Is everything ok?" The cat demon growled affirmatively. Sango was about to list off things that could have made her pet and companion change course, when Miroku grabbed her shoulder and pointed with his other hand to a small fire in the distance. "Maybe that's where Kirara is taking us." The roar from the cat confirmed this. Kohaku awoke to the roar. "Are we there, yet?" This earned a small chuckle from Miroku and a peeved look from Sango. "Now, don't you start, too, little brother."

"Ooookay," said Kohaku, "Not gonna ask. So, big sis?" "So, what?" "Are we …um…there, yet?" A bigger laugh came from Miroku, while Sango was trying to keep her cool and not hit her little brother. Instead, THWACK. "Hey! What did I do this time?" "It's your fault I'm mad right now, and I see nothing funny about this. To answer you, Kohaku, no, we're not. Kirara changed directions and is taking us somewhere up ahead." Seeing they were almost to the fire, she added, "Get ready! I don't know what to expect." "Right" came the replies in unison.

Kirara got ready to land, as everyone on board prepared for touch down. Kirara landed on the ground, jostling everyone a little. The three passengers hopped off, allowing Kirara to detransform. As soon as she had, Kirara bounded over to two lumps near the fire, and nudged one with her nose. It stirred. "Hmmm? Kirara?" It jumped up. "Sango! Miroku! Kohaku! You caught up!" It was Shippo.

"Shippo? What's going on? I though Inuyasha wasn't going to stop 'till he got to the village? And where is Inuyasha and Kagome?" "Inuyasha and Kagome are over there" Shippo pointed of to the other side of the fire. "On the way to the village, we were attacked by a demon. Inuyasha fought it, but it could dodge the wind scar. It hurt Inuyasha and attacked Sakura, breaking her arm. It took Kagome before Inuyasha could really do anything. I stayed with Sakura while Inuyasha chased after the demon. A little while later, Inuyasha returned with a conscious Kagome, and, after I told her Sakura's arm was broken, she actually healed her, but, for some reason, fainted. Inuyasha was taking care of her, so we left them alone."

Sango sighed. She had thought that something awful had happened, like Shippo and Sakura had been separated from Inuyasha and Kagome, or something like that. She looked up at the night sky. Just beginning to admire its beauty, she noticed something was missing. Mentally, she went over a simple checklist. "Lets see…..dark sky, check….stars, check……moon….." "Oh My God!" Miroku was worried about the sudden outburst from Sango. "What's wrong?"

"We need to find Inuyasha. I just realized tonight's the new moon." Miroku tried to calm her. "Relax, Sango. I'm sure they're fine. If anything, Kagome could restrain Inuyasha with her demon strength. I'm sure she made him stay put as she watched over him. Shippo said they were right over there, so I'll go check on them. If I can't find them, I'll come get you all." He walked over to the other side of the fire and headed towards where Shippo said they were.

He hadn't taken 20 steps, when he found some of Kagome's clothes on the ground. Hoping they had just spilled out of her bag, he continued. 3 steps later, he found Inuyasha's pants. Now, Miroku was getting worried and curious. A few more steps took him to his destination. He found Inuyasha and an apparently human Kagome together, asleep, and by the looks of things, naked. Before common sense could interfere, he poked Inuyasha with his staff. "Hey. Wake up time."

Inuyasha awoke to someone poking him. He sat up and grabbed whatever it was that was poking him. Seeing it was a staff, he looked up it to see a familiar face. He froze in horror, not knowing what to say to explain the situation. He just stared dumbly at Miroku.

Kagome was cold. Her nice, comfy, heat source had moved. Waking up, she grouped for Inuyasha. She managed to find his arm, which she pulled, moaning, trying to get him to lay back down. When he wouldn't budge, she sat up. Putting her hand on his shoulder, she asked, "Inuyasha, what's up?" She looked at him, hoping to get a response for a few seconds, before she noticed he was holding something. A staff. Tracing it, she saw a familiar hand and arm covered in a cloth and holy beads (Miroku had kept them after his curse was lifted, saying he had gotten used to wearing them). Tracing the arm, she saw the face of Miroku looking at her. Well, not at her, but a little bit lower. Suddenly feeling very exposed, Kagome realized the sleeping bag had fallen from her, showing her bare chest.

"EEEEEEEEK!" Kagome grabbed the sleeping bag, covered herself, and began throwing anything hard her hands could find which happened to be rocks. Miroku was still staring stupidly at where Kagome's breasts just were, when he felt a sharp pain on his chest. Looking down, he felt another one on the top of his head. He saw a rock fall to the ground. Looking up to find where the rocks were coming from, he saw Kagome in full attack mode. He decided it was safer back at the fire. Before he left, he quickly said, "I expect a full explanation."

Running as fast as he could, Miroku stopped when he reached the others. They had all heard Kagome's scream, but thanks to the Monk's less than honorable morals, they all thought he had squeezed her butt or something. Sango was the one to say something, though. "Ok, Miroku. What did you do this time?" Miroku was stunned from what he just saw and winded from the very quick run, so he only managed to gasp, "Inuyasha……..and Kagome……….sleeping bag……..naked…….together" The others stared at him, until…..

"WHAT?"


	20. Chapter 19 You Got Some 'splainin' To Do

The Same

Book 2 : The Good and the Bad

By James Moore

Disclaimer: The characters in this story are not mine.

Chapter 9

You got some 'splainin' to do

As soon as Miroku had left, Kagome calmed down. Without leaving the cover of her sleeping bag, she began feeling around for something to cover herself with. Her hands came across a shirt. It felt like Inuyasha's undershirt, but she needed something to put on. Besides, he just needed some pants, and he'd be decent. Kagome slipped the shirt on and began searching for her clothes. She noticed Inuyasha hadn't moved yet. "Hey! Get a move on. The others are gonna want an explanation." Her hand found her undies, which she quickly slipped on. She found Inuyasha's pants, which she threw at him. "Here you go. Get covered."

Finding her bra, she put it on and fastened it in the back. A few feet away, she found her shirt and skirt and Inuyasha's red top shirt. Slipping the skirt on beneath the under shirt, she faced away from Inuyasha and took the undershirt off. Putting her own shirt back on, she tossed both shirts of Inuyasha's to him and slipped her shoes on. She heard him rustle around, hopefully getting dressed, so she sat down to wait for him.

A few minutes later, a pair of arms wrapped around her. "Kagome, I need to ask you something, and I need you to be as truthful as possible. Did you enjoy what we did? Making love with me?" Kagome was shocked that Inuyasha could ask such a thing. "Of course I did. How could I not? You're the only one I want to make love with." "Thanks. What I'm about to ask is really important. I guess it's something like what you'd call a marriage proposal."

Inuyasha turned Kagome to face him. Kagome's heart was racing. She knew what he was about to ask. "Kagome, will you be my mate? Now before you answer, I need to explain a few things to you. First, to truly become mates, we have to make love as demons and at the peak of it; I put my mark on you. The mark I make is a bite that will carry my scent, telling other demons that you are mine. Once I make the mark, there's no backing out. You are mine forever. Also, the mark will give us a mental link, so, in case one of us is in danger, the other can help. Are you willing to accept this? Now, I don't expect an answer right now, think on it."

Kagome nodded, lost in thought at the moment. Inuyasha continued. "Meanwhile, we're gonna have to go tell the others." He pulled her up, letting her stand on her own. Wrapping his arm around her, he let her snuggle up to him as they began their walk over to the fire. When they arrived, they found the others, specifically Sango and Miroku discussing what they had been doing naked underneath a sleeping bag. Kagome was too scared to say anything, so Inuyasha did. He tried to clear his throat loudly to get everyone's attention, but he was just as scared as Kagome, so all that came out was a small whimper.

Unfortunately, for the couple, the small noise got everyone's attention. They all looked at the two. Miroku and Sango looked like they were doing a full x-ray or something, the way they were looking Inuyasha and Kagome up and down. Under the scrutiny, Inuyasha looked away, and Kagome turned her face to Inuyasha's shirt, hoping to hide her embarrassment. Both of them were blushing severely.

Finally, someone spoke. It was Kohaku. "Um…..yeah. What's going on?" Miroku was the one to answer. "Well, it seems Inuyasha and Kagome have a few things to tell us." They sat in silence for a few minutes, before Sango lost her patients. "Well?" Getting into his usual attitude, Inuyasha replied, "Well, what?" "Well, why don't you start explaining yourselves, starting with the most recent thing. What were you 2 doing naked together?"

Kagome tried to answer. "Well, you see……um……we……err…….made love." The last part was barely a squeak, and Kagome's face turned beat red. "Huh? Whad'ya say, Kagome?" Asked Shippo. Kagome found the ground an interesting new study as she couldn't say it again. Inuyasha got feed up with this. "We had sex, ok?" This immediately got Kagome mad. "Inuyasha!" "What? They pretty much know already. It's not like we'd be telling them anything new." "Well, yes, but do you have to say it so bluntly?" "Hmph"

Miroku clapped his hands together. "Ok. Now that everyone's back to normal, I'm curious as to what happened when the demon that attacked you took off with Kagome and you chased after it." Inuyasha looked at the ground. "Well, by the time I caught up, Kagome had already taken care of the demon, so ask her." All eyes turned to Kagome.

"Well, I woke up to find myself in the arms of an unfamiliar demon. I used a new power I learned while unconscious to purify the demon. I landed so hard on my butt, I couldn't really move. Then Inuyasha came and took me back to Shippo and Sakura." Sakura imputed, "That's when she healed me." "Yeah. I'm just trying to remember what the demon said to me before I purified him. It's probably not imp-….." Suddenly, it clicked in her mind. "Master Naraku will be greatly pleased that I have captured you" Master Naraku Realizing the implications of this, dread shot through her.

Wrapping her arms around her stomach, she rocked gently, whispering "No. It can't be." Inuyasha became worried at Kagome's sudden silence. "Kagome? Are you alright?" She didn't respond, so he put his hand on her shoulder to turn her. She jumped at his touch. "Kagome? What's wrong?"

All Kagome could manage to say was, "He's back." which confused everyone. Miroku tried to get more information. "Who? Who's back?" Calming herself, Kagome looked at Miroku. "Before I purified that demon, he said something. He said, and I quote, "Master Naraku will be greatly pleased that I have captured you"." This got every one's attention. Before things degraded into chaos, Sango stepped in. "The demon was probably just trying to get to you, right? I mean, you killed him." "Yeah, we all saw you…..well, except Sakura." Shippo added. "Right. I killed him myself. Naraku is dead." Kagome said, trying to convince herself of that.

"So, girl. Dead, am I?"


	21. Chapter 20 New Problems

The Same

Book 2 : The Good and the Bad

By James Moore

Disclaimer: The characters in this story are not mine.

Chapter 10

New Problems

"So, girl. Dead, am I?"

Everyone froze. They knew that voice. It was one they all recognized, but never wanted to hear ever again. They all turned to face……Naraku. He was in his old demon "coat".

A yelp was heard, as Kohaku hid behind his sister. Naraku couldn't help but laugh an evil laugh at the young demon slayer's reaction that sent chills down everyone's spine. "Relax, boy. I'm not here for you." Drawing his sword, Inuyasha pointed the Tetsusiaga, in its normal state, at Naraku and got between him and Kagome. "Then what are you here for? And how did you survive?"

Another laugh came from the other half demon. "You can not kill me, ever. You see, while I had so many incarnations of myself, I am also an incarnation. Kill me, and my master can just bring me back to life. And to answer your other question, I'm just here to deliver a message from my master." Inuyasha snorted. "Oh, yeah. And who might that be?" "My master is called Jigoku Kumo." Miroku commented on the name. "Jigoku Kumo? Hell Spider? That might explain the spider marks on Naraku's back and all his incarnations. Does that mean this Jigoku Kumo is the true form of Onigumo and the demons that devoured him?" Still ready to attack him, Inuyasha said "Does it matter? What's this message from your master?"

"Simply this, Inuyasha. Master Kumo is still after the Shikon Jewel. But before he comes to get it, he has allowed me to get a little revenge." Inuyasha was getting impatient. "So, come on. Let's see this revenge of yours" "Fine." Naraku launched himself at Inuyasha, and, before Inuyasha could swing at him, Naraku pushed him aside. Sango, seeing Naraku's real target, ran to get between him and Kagome, as Naraku became a blob like thing. Kagome was frozen there on the spot, so all she could do was watch as Sango jumped between her and her attacker and get enveloped by the blob.

The blob that was Naraku pulled back, with Sango still inside of him. "Sango!" Miroku charged the blob, throwing down his staff, and stuck his hands in, hoping to pull Sango out. Instead, he had to pull his hands out, as they began to fell like they were on fire. He held his arms away from his body, as some of the blob that stayed attached to his hand fell of onto the ground. His arms shock from the great pain he felt. Naraku's head formed at the top of the blob. "Monk, you must love my curses, because you've just got another one. I think you'd like it, since it's so much like that last one of yours. Look at your arms."

Miroku looked down, and saw these purplish-black scars on his arms. "Those scars are the curse. They will slowly encompass your body, and when they do, you will die. But along the way to dying, it will be very painful." Miroku turned to face the half demon. "I don't care. You will release Sango" He picked up his staff and began trying to hit the ball of goo that held Sango captive. He missed every strike, because, somehow, the blob moved out of the way of the strike. Inuyasha and Kohaku joined the fight, helping the monk get their friend/sister back. Inuyasha aimed low, trying for a stab, while Kohaku jumped into the air and threw his scythe and chain, aiming for Naraku's head. Where Inuyasha aimed, a hole appeared in the blob, letting the sword go right through, while Naraku's head returned to the blob and sank down enough to dodge Kohaku's attack. Kohaku drew his sword that was an additional weapon, and tried for a vertical attack. The blob broke in two, moving to the sides. Inuyasha saw Sango's hand sticking out of the side of the right half. The blob became whole again.

Fortunately for Kagome and Inuyasha, the sun began peaking over the distant mountains. After a few seconds, becoming a hanyou, Inuyasha transformed the Tetsusiaga. "Everyone, back off" Yelled Inuyasha. Inuyasha himself jumped back as he began searching for the scar. When he found it and Miroku and Kohaku were clear of the attack, he brought his sword up, ready to strike Naraku with the wind scar. He brought the sword down. "WINDSC-" "Inuyasha, SIT!" The necklace around his neck glowed a pink color, as Inuyasha fell to the ground. When he could get up again and dig himself out of the Inuyasha shaped hole, he yelled at the girl who did that. "KAGOME! What's the big idea?"

"The big idea is to not hurt Sango." Shippo jumped onto her shoulder. "Then how are we to defeat him. Kagome couldn't come up with an answer. Suddenly, she heard it. Kagome! Use the Miko Tsurugi "Midoriko? Where are you?" I'm still here in your mind. Now, quickly. Get the sword. Hurry. Kagome thought of a plan so she could get her sword without Naraku seeing. "Shippo. Can you distract Naraku for me?" Shippo nodded an affirmative. "Remember, don't attack him, otherwise you might hurt Sango. Aim around him." "Ok." Shippo leaped off Kagome's shoulder and aimed to the right of the blob. "FOXFIRE" A burst of green flame shot out. As soon as it did, Kagome run to her bag, finding the Miko Tsurugi tied on the side of it. She quickly untied it and drew the sword.

Shippo had just fired his second and third foxfire, which Naraku dodged, when Kagome returned to the fight. "Shippo, move out of the way." Kagome yelled to the little fox, as she leapt up into the air using her returned super strength. Shippo promptly moved. Kagome drew her sword above her head, as the sword began glowing a pink color and symbols written into the sword glowed a brighter pink. She got to the apex of her jump and began her descent, straight for Naraku. Turning the sword a little, she hit the blob with the side of the sword, so as to not cut Sango. A little piece of the blob, about the size of a soccer ball, jumped away from the rest, as the rest just evaporated, uncovering Sango. She fell to the ground.

Everyone went to check on her, except Kagome, who followed the remaining blob, which became Naraku's head. "Heh. You were lucky this time. My master will becoming for you in 5 months, because he wants to make this fun by seeing what futile attempts of resistance you'll create. Don't die before then." Laughter eminated from the head, as it dissolved into the ground before Kagome could finish it off with the Miko Tsurugi. Oh, boy. Do we have a lot to do thought Kagome as she turned to join the others.

In a dark forest, a small blob rose from the ground. It expanded and molded into Naraku. He bowed, head looking down, before a spider web half covered in shadow. Red eyes appeared from the shadow. "Has it been done?" a deep voice asked. Naraku looked up at the eyes. "Yes, my lord. The bug has been planted." A happy yet evil laugh come from the shadows. "Good. Soon, one of them will be on our side and another dead."


	22. Chapter 21 Lovely

The Same

Book 2 : The Good and the Bad

By James Moore

Disclaimer: The characters in this story are not mine.

Chapter 11

Lovely

Miroku was holding Sango in his arms, with Sakura on his shoulder, Inuyasha opposite him, Shippo to the right of him, and Kohaku next to him, checking for anything like the scars Miroku got. Kagome came up from behind Inuyasha and asked if Sango was ok. Kohaku had just finished his search. "Whew. There doesn't seem to be any of those scars on her. In fact, it just looks like Naraku held her hostage and didn't do anything to her." Miroku still held Sango protectively, though. He wanted to make sure she was completely ok. She started stirring.

When Sango opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was Miroku. "What happened? Did we win?" Everyone was relieved she was ok, especially Miroku. "Yes, we won." Sango noticed Miroku's arms. Before she could say anything, three stomachs growled simultaneously. Sango blushed, because one of those stomachs was hers. The other two belonged to Shippo and Sakura. Shippo asked when they could eat. Kagome smiled, and said that she could start breakfast in a few minutes. Asking Kohaku, Shippo, and Sakura to gather some fire wood, she dragged Inuyasha away, to let Sango and Miroku be alone. With the upcoming events, those two need to establish their relationship, because I know they both love each other, but neither will admit it when we all are around.

Kagome got her bag and carried over to where Sakura and Shippo had made a fire, which had a group of trees obscuring the view of where Miroku and Sango were. A while later, breakfast was ready to eat, but Miroku and Sango had not returned yet. Inuyasha was getting impatient, and was pacing back and forth. "Dammit. Where are those two." Kagome tried to calm him. "Relax. If you want, I'll go get them." She got up and headed over to where Miroku and Sango were. Stopping after a few steps, she turned her head to look at Inuyasha. "And I better find ALL the food still there." Inuyasha's ears dropped, because she foiled his plan. Going around the trees, Kagome saw Sango and Miroku asleep against a nearby bolder, cuddling one another. A smile broke on Kagome's face. "Finally" she whispered. She decided that they needed sleep since both had been up all night.

Going back over to the others, Kagome was about halfway there, when she saw Kirara in the sky. Kirara descended, to land right next to Kagome. Picking up the detransformed cat demon, Kagome carried Kirara over to the others. Inuyasha was beyond ticked off when Kagome arrived. "So, where the hell are they?" he yelled at her. Closing her eyes, she replied, "Inuyasha, SIT" As usual, Inuyasha crashed to the ground. "Miroku and Sango were asleep, so I decided to leave them alone. Since they're asleep, we can eat." Breakfast that morning consisted of oatmeal, Poptarts, and bacon.

They quickly ate breakfast. After they cleaned up, Kagome asked Kohaku to get his sister and Miroku, because she had to pack her things into her bag. Kohaku returned with two tired young adults. Inuyasha told everyone, "Ok. We have only a couple of miles to get back to the village, so we should hurry up. We have some work to do, if Naraku and this Jigoku Kumo shows up." "They won't show up. When I purified Naraku, a part of him got away. Before it escaped, it told me that we have 5 months to prepare for war. We need to get back and decide what we are going to do."

They set out for the village with Kagome carrying her bag, Inuyasha carrying the two foxes, and Miroku, Sango, and Kohaku on Kirara. Kagome was happy to see a sleeping Sango leaning back on a sleeping Miroku.

End of Book 2: The Good and the Bad

Please review my second book. Tell me what you liked and did not like. Any suggestions on anything?


	23. Chapter 22 Opinion

The Same

Book 3 : Differences

By James Moore

Disclaimer: The characters in this story are not mine.

Chapter 1

Opinion

Everyone breathed a sigh of reliefe when they reached the villiage without any more problems. It looked like Jigoku Kumo was going to keep his word and leave them alone, for now. They all quickly went to see Kaede, everyone but Inuyasha admiting that they wanted her opinion any any suggestions she could offer about the current situation. They found her and quickly filled her in on all that had happened since yesterday (Including what Kagome and Inuyasha had done, much to the two half-demon's embarrasment). Both of them were beet red by the time the explainations were done.

When all was explained, Kaede was silent a moment, before speaking. She decided to forget she even heard about what the two half-demons did. That was a migrane just waiting to happen. Instead, she turned her attention to Miroku. "Ye new curse is very interesting, indead. I have heard tell of a man who suffered under a similar curse and went far to the west, seeking the aid of a powerful spirit. If ye seek out this spirit, he is sure to help." Miroku nodded his understanding.

Kaede then adressed the whole group. "Now, about this Jigoku Kumo. What are we to do about him?" Inuyasha voiced his opinion. "Well, since Naraku had hordes upon hordes of demons at his disposal, I think its safe to say that Jigoku Kumo will have even more. I think we should try to build up a resistance against him." Everyone stared at him for a few seconds, before Shippo leapt onto his head. Putting his ear against Inuyasha's head, he began rapping on Inuyasha's skull, as if inspecting the quality of it. "You ok? Nothing got knocked loose, making you smarter, did it?" A vein quickly popped out on Inuyasha's forehead as he punched Shippo off his head and onto the ground. "Stop picking on Shippo-chan!" demanded Sakura as she went to Shippo's side. He was rubbing his head where a huge bump now stood out.

Inuyasha, seeing he was being ganged up on, thought, To hell with it. "Fine," he said, "I try to help, and this is the thanks I get? Fine. I got better things to do." The only thing that stopped him from leaving was Kagome, who had called to him. "Inuyasha, wait. What you suggested is actually a good idea. I think we should do as he suggested." Kaede nodded. "It is a good plan, but before ye set out again, rest here a while and regain your strength." At the mention of rest, most everyone realized how tired they were. Most everyone, except Inuyasha, who insisted he wasn't tired (He could go months on end without sleep. NOT).

Before everyone left, Kaede's curiosity got the better of her. "Kagome? Might I be able to see the Miko Tsurugi?" Kagome looked around to see the same curiosity in everyone elses eyes, after all, none of them had had a chance to look at the sword in detail yet. Unsheathing the sword, she gently put it on the floor in front of her and mentioned, "Sakura, Shippo, Inuyasha. Don't touch the sword, otherwise you'll be purified." Inuyasha was about to ask about herself, but she answered before he could ask. "I don't have to worry about it, because my miko powers protect me." With that, everyone looked over the Miko Tsurugi.

At first glance, it looked like an ordinary katana, but upon further inspection, it became clear it wasn't. The decorative handle and the kanji symbols etched into the blade itself were what gave the Miko Tsurugi its powers. First of all, the symbols etched into the blade were well known to the group. There were four total; two on each side. On one side, there was the kanji symbols of Arami-Tama and Nigimi-Tama, the other side, Kushimi-Tama and Sakimi-Tama. (For those of you who don't know what those stand for, see the end of the chapter) More importantly, however, was the handle, which had an obscured Yin-Yang design. When the sword was made, the handle was specifically designed to use the blade as a link between it and a body housing the four souls. The unique design on the handle causes the four souls to become balanced, hence purifying a demon.

Myoga, who had just popped out of nowhere, was studying the sword intently. Everyone waited while wondering why he was so interested in the sword. Finally, after a couple of minutes, he said outloud, "It's an amplifier."


	24. Chapter 23 Types of Weapons

The Same

Book 3 : Differences

By James Moore

Disclaimer: The characters in this story are not mine.

Chapter 2

Types of Weapons

"An ampli-what?" asked a confused Inuyasha. Kagome rolled her eyes. "An amplifier. A device used to increase the power or strength of something." "Feh. I knew that." said an indignate Inuyasha. Kagome decided to let that one go. "Whatever" Turning back to the sword and the flea demon, she asked him, "How can you tell it's an amplifier?" Myoga pointed at the sword, careful not to touch it. "Look very closely. See the small grooves in the blade?" They could see the grooves. "Those catch the energy of an attack and, with a swing of the sword, can redirect and amplify the power of the attack."

Kagome was confused though. She noticed how, instead of going straight to the tip of the blade, the grooves seemed to wind their way to the tip. "But Myoga, wouldn't the power of the attack be decreased with all these turns the power has to go through?" "No. In fact, the exact opposite happens. You see, the turns in the grooves allow the power to compress and build up." A light clicked on in Kagome's head as she understood what he meant. Myoga continued to talk. "So, now it seems as if we have two weapons that have the characteristics of two types of magical items." Kohaku managed to beat everyone else to the chase. "Two types of magical items? How many are there? How do they work?"

Collecting his thoughts, Myoga said, "There are 4 types of magical items. There are the upgradable ones, the ones that don't need a wielder to use it's power, the internal amplifiers, and the external amplifiers. First come the upgradeable ones. These are magical items that can upgrade their power according to the power of the wielder. One example of this type of magical item would be the Tetsusaiga. Next, come the ones that can function without a wielder. Most of these are things like odufa spells and seals, but there are some others that have this power, like both the Tetsusaiga and the Miko Tsurugi. Next, are the internal amplifiers. Like the name says, it can amplify your inner power, or aura. The only magical item I know of that is a true internal amplifier is the Shikon Jewel. Finally, are the external amplifiers. Like the name says, it amplifies the power of any power outside the body, and the Miko Tsurugi is one example."

All was quiet as everyone digested that information (BURP Yummy LOL :-P). Finally, after many minutes of silence, Miroku shook his head. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm really tired. I'm going to go get some more sleep." Shippo and Kohaku agreed and followed Miroku back to the boys' hut. Inuyasha stayed behind. "Hey, Kagome? Can I speak with you for a second?" "Sure," replied Kagome, as she picked up her sword and sheathed it. "What is it?" she asked, as she walked up to him. "I was just thinking, that with you being a half-demon now, you're going to need some better clothes, ones more strong. I was wondering if you wanted me to make you something like what I have." He pinched his shirt and pulled at it to show what he meant.

Kagome was suprised at this proposition, yet felt happy that Inuyasha wanted to make something for her. A beautiful smile lit up her face as she hugged him. "Sure. I'd like that, Inuyasha."


	25. Chapter 24 Friends or Foes

The Same

Book 3 : Differences

By James Moore

Disclaimer: The characters in this story are not mine.

Chapter 3

Friends or foes

3 Days Later

"Goodbye!" "See ya in 3 months!" "Bye, Shippo! Take care!" These and more farewells were said, before 3 groups set out from the village in seperate directions.

Inuyasha and company had decided the day before to do as Kaede had suggested and try to recruit people to help them fight Jigoku Kumo and Naraku. They had split up the group first by who needed to be trained by who, and then who would work well together. Kohaku was paired with Sango and Kirara, and Kagome was paired with Inuyasha and Myoga. Sango and company were going to mainly try to find any of the other demon slayer villages Sango had heard her father talk about, but also talk to any group, kingdom, or village they ran across. Miroku and company were going to every village and try to recruit people, while also stoping at every royal place and trying to talk the leader into helping them (Unfortunately, Miroku thought this meant using his old trick of saying that there was a demon in the place that needed to be exorcised, but instead of asking for a place to stay, ask them for their help). Finally, Kagome, Inuyasha, and Myoga were going to try and find all their friends/foes/enemies that would be willing to help them, like Totosai, Kouga, and Shesshomaru.

The first person on Kagome's list to find was Kouga. It may not seem like it, but Kagome always thought Kouga and Inuyasha were more friends than foes, that it was just a male thing, trying to show one another up. So, they were tracking Kouga's scent (Kagome was. Inuyasha said it was training for her.). Apparently, he had been headed for the village recently, but before he got to it, Ayame's scent joined his and they left. Maybe Ayame was draging him away from Kagome thought Inuyasha when he smelled her. There had been a fight of some sort there. He noticed something different about her scent, though he couldn't place what was different. It was almost like Kouga's scent had combined with her's, creating a slightly different scent, but still distinguished from Kouga's. Now he was curious and wanted to find the wolf.

It took them 3 days to find Kouga and his pack, who were on the move, again. When the three of them did, Inuyasha was the one to get their attention. "Hey, wolf. Ready for a fight?" Kouga smirked and stopped, stopping the pack. "Always happy to oblige a mutt." Then he noticed Ayame, who had moved beside him, looking worried for him. This brought brought back memory of what had happened in the last few weeks. "But not now. Besides," he paused, trying to make what he was about to say dramatic, "I've given up on Kagome, seeing as she's become a mutt like you." He recieved two lumps on the head for that, one from Kagome and one from Ayame. "Don't call Kagome/me a mutt." Afraid of the mad women, Kouga changed the subject. "So, Kagome. How'd you become a mu...half-demon like Inuyasha?"

Kagome noticed everyone looking at her and got nervous. "Um...Could we talk about this somewhere a bit more private?" Kouga sighed and guestured for Inuyasha and Kagome to follow him. Inuyasha noticed Ayame was being a bit close to Kouga. It suddenly hit him like a ton of bricks. Did they...No...Kouga refused her for Kagome...But he said he had given up on her...Only one way to know for sure He gazed intently at Ayame's shoulder, but couldn't see if it was there, because her cape was covering her shoulder.

Kagome noticed Inuyasha's stare. Anger flew through her body, but she calmed herself. Relax. He's not checking Ayame out. He's just...thinking. Yeah, thinking. It sounded pretty weak to her. Then she noticed he was just staring at Ayame's shoulders. "Inuyasha, what what are you thinking," she asked, suspicion thick in her voice. "I'm not sure, but I think those two have mated," He wispered. "Well, what do you know. The mutt figured something out." Inuyasha and Kagome looked forward to see Kouga looking over his shoulder at them, his arm around Ayame's waist. She was also looking back at them, her face beaming. "We mated a couple of days ago, actually," she said.

Kagome immediately pulled her aside. "Wow, thats great, Ayame. You finally got your man." Ayame giggled and nodded. Kagome continued. "So, how'd you do it? Did you have to tie him up or something?" Ayame shook her head. "No. Actually, he came onto me. When he got a whiff of you as a half-demon, he charged torwards the village, ready to "rip Inuyasha an new", well, you know. Anyways, thats what he said. I finally caught up to him and tackled him. He put up a fight, but I was able to talk him out of hurting Inuyasha. I finally had to drag him back to the pack. He pouted for about a day about losing you to "the mutt". After that, he came to me and said he loved me, and things just carried on from there." "Wow," said Kagome. She was relieved that Kouga wasn't going to fight Inuyasha anymore, at least over her. Kagome's school girl side showed up then. "So, what's he like in bed?" Ayame blushed. "Amazing. I've never felt so..." Her eyes glazed over as she thought about that night.

Meanwhile, Kouga and Inuyasha were left alone with each other. Tension was high for a few minutes. Finally Kouga broke the ice. "So, How did Kagome become like _you_," he asked. All Inuyasha said was, "Shikon Jewel." Kouga raised an eye. "Why?" "Look. If you want to know, ask Kagome. I don't feel like telling you. Besides, we have something more important to discuss." "Like?" "Naraku. He's not dead. Turns out he was just an incarnation of an even stronger demon." A serious look crossed Kouga's face. "Tell me more." Inuyasha began going over what had happened and about Jigoku Kumo and Naraku. Somewhere during the discussion, Ayame and Kagome rejoined them. When Inuyasha finished, Kouga stood up. " The bastard who killed my comrades isn't dead, so I agree to help you." Feeling how tense the air was, Ayame ask Kagome, "So, whats new with you two?" Both she and Kouga were confused by the sever blush that appeared on both of the half-demon dogs.

Author's note:

Sorry about the wait everyone. Here's the new chapter. Unfortunately, the chapter after this was supposed to be released on Christmas day, but that didn't happen. I hope you all don't mind it being a little late.

Also, just a reminder, I am looking for someone who could do some fan art for me. contact me if you can or you know someone who can.

Finally, check out my new stories, "The Evil Within" and "Nuku Nuku Bell". They aren't as far along as "The Same" is, but will be updated soon.


	26. Chapter 25 Training Part 2

The Same

Book 3: Differences

By James Moore

Disclaimer: The characters in this story are not mine.

Chapter 4

Training Part 2

The next day, Inuyasha and Kagome left the pack, looking for Totosai. They stopped that evening, while there was still light in the sky. Inuyasha said to hurry making dinner, because he wanted to do some training, so she made his favorite food. "RAMEN" He was (almost) literally jumping for joy. He quickly gobbled his portion up. Standing up, he said, "I have to go do something. I'll be back in 10 minutes." "Umm...Ok?" Kagome watched Inuyasha run off, wondering what he was doing, while she ate her food at a more human pace.

As Inuyasha ran, he pulled something out of his sleeve. Stopping a good few miles from Kagome, he landed by a stream and began washing the item. It was red, like his clothes. When he finished washing it, he held it about his head and launched in the direction of Kagome. His intent was to do a quick air dry of the item. He landed a few hundred feet from where Kagome was and quickly folded the item, holding it behind his back. He ran the rest of the way to Kagome.

When she saw him return, she waved at him, having packed everything back up, and stood up. "Inuyasha, I'm ready for some training." Inuyasha kept his face straight. "Good, but before we train, I have something for you." A smile came across his face and brought his present out from behind his back. "Here you go!" She took the offered item. It feels like Inuyasha's clothes. Letting the cloth unfold revealed clothes similar to Inuyasha's, but about Kagome's size. "Cool. Thanks, Inuyasha. Hold on, and I'll go put it on." She turned to head behind a group of trees, but stopped and looked back at him. "And I better not catch you peeking at me."

A few seconds later, Kagome reappeared, wearing the pants and shirt. She put the clothes she had taken off into her bag, and then walked over to Inuyasha. She lifted her arms to show off the fit and twirled around. "Well, what do you think?" The style of clothing was like what Inuyasha wore, but with more of a feminine cut to it. It still had pant legs that tied at the ankle, and the sleeves were still very baggy, but Kagome didn't mind. She knew Inuyasha had put his best effort into making it (though the fact that he could sew surprised her), so she'd treasure it.

Inuyasha could do nothing but stare. While the clothes were made to be loose and baggy, Kagome had done something different. Inuyasha had included a string that was supposed to be worn like a sash for decoration, like he had done, but instead, she had tied it so it made an X on both the front and the back. This made the shirt somewhat form-fitting, showing off her body from the hips up. Only one word came to Inuyasha's mind. "Kawaii," he said, almost whispering. Kagome's cheeks grew a tint of pink at the comment. "Really?" He nodded. "You look beautiful in that." Kagome giggled, and her smile bloomed into a huge grin. Inuyasha continued to stare, until he remembered what he had given her the clothes for. Shaking his head, he focused on training Kagome.

"Let's get started." Kagome nodded in agreement, and picked up her sword and scabbard, and stuck it through the loop on the left hip of the pants, which was made to hold it. "So, what first?" "Let's see how good you are at hand to hand." And with that, they began to train.

To see a picture of Kagome in the fire rat cloth, go here.

http/s40. That was fun" Kagome plopped down next to Inuyasha. Her hair still wet from the bath she just took, she grabbed a towel out of her bag and began drying her hair, avoiding being too rough on her ears. "Why not just shake dry like I do?" "Because I'm no animal!" "Oh, really? Then what are these?" Inuyasha gave a little pull on Kagome's ears. "What are what," said Kagome as her dog ears vanished.

"Wha…?" Inuyasha waved his hand above her head, and hit something. He tugged on it.

"Ow. Be careful. My ears are still there, it's just an illusion." The ears reappeared. An eyebrow rose on Inuyasha's face.

"When did you learn to make illusions?"

"Midoriko taught me. What she showed me will really come in handy for our fight against Jigoku Kumo. Not only have I learned how to heal, purify, and how to use a sword, but she also showed me how to make illusions, barriers and shields, seals, and odufas. Learning to make illusions was the most fun, as I got to……Inuyasha, are you alright?"

Inuyasha was just sitting, looking out at the scenery with a sad look on his face. The only times he was like that was when something deeply emotional was troubling him. "How much more? How much more do we have to learn and go through just to get some peace?" Inuyasha looked straight at Kagome. What she saw in his eyes scared her. In those amber eyes, she saw immense pain, weariness, and…FEAR? He's afraid? What could he possibly be afraid of? She was pulled out of her musing by Inuyasha, who pulled her into a tight hug.

"I don't want you fighting anymore. Our battles are just going to get more dangerous and deadly. After all the times it almost happened, I don't think I could stand you getting killed. I don't want to lose you." The hug tightened. "I can't lose you."

Kagome was dumbfounded. He's not afraid OF something, he's afraid FOR me. I need to calm his fear for me, but how…? A memory of something suggested to her recently came to mind. But am I ready for something like that? She debated this in her mind. Well, since Inuyasha and I have already done "it", that wouldn't be that big of a step. And I love him deeply. her decision final, she gave Inuyasha her answer.

"Yes."

"Eh?" Inuyasha pushed her back a little to look at her face.

"Yes, I will be your mate. I have no intention or desire to leave you…"

Not quite the answer I was looking for, but I can't argue with It. through his depression and worry, a bubble of happiness grew…

"…But I can't stop fighting."

…only to be burst by Kagome.

"Kagome," his voice was pleading, "I don't-"

"Please let me finish. I can't stop fighting, because I am the cause of everything that has happened to us…because I had the Shikon Jewel. Please understand, I love you with all my heart, and I'm all for not fighting, but I'm the only one who can truly put a stop to all of it. Besides," she said, trying to lighten the mood, "If you try and stop me, all you'll see is dirt for a while."

Inuyasha was quiet for a minute, before slowly nodding his head. "I understand."

"Promise me you won't try and stop me?"

"I promise."

"Thank you." She kissed him. For loving me

Mating soon followed.

Author's note: Hey, all. I'm SO SORRY it took so long to update. I've been really busy with my SOLs and studying for them. I promise I will try my best to update again soon.


	27. Chapter 26 Morning Sickness

The Same

By James Moore

Disclaimer: The characters in this story are not mine.

Chapter 26

Surprises

Inuyasha awoke to something moving in front of him. Too tired to care at the moment, he pulled Kagome to him, snuggling up against her. He was about to fall asleep a few seconds later, when the moving became a desperate thrashing, as the something began hitting him on the head.

"Inuyasha. Let me go, you idiot."

Recognizing that Kagome was the one moving, he quickly released her. Opening his eyes, he watched his mate sprint into the nearby trees, where the sounds of throwing up soon came from.

After yawning as he stretched, Inuyasha cast a worried glance at where the noises were coming from. It had been 9 days since Kagome and he mated. That night had been special. It wasn't special in the sense that it was a night spent just making love to Kagome. It had been special, because he finally marked her as his, and his alone, for all the world to see. Their first time during the new moon had been awkward, filled with a clumsy lust. 9 days ago, however, there was a purpose to the passion, a requirement. The requirement was fulfilled, though it took a _**LONG**_ time. It still amazed Inuyasha how _long_ Kagome could go in her half demon form.

The next few days passed in a haze of playful passion and lust. They still followed Totosai's trail, but a lot of stops were made for AHEM various reasons. Those days always ended with Kagome snuggled up with Inuyasha.

5 days ago and everyday since then, however, Kagome awoke and, after breaking Inuyasha's grip, had fled into the trees, where the sounds of being sick where heard shortly thereafter. All the rest of those day, Kagome was annoyed and touchy. They had to constantly stop because she was feeling nauseous. It was only luck that got her to cuddle with Inuyasha at night. Well, that and it being cold.

That wasn't all he was worried about, though. He knew Kagome's demon blood was starting to affect her, especially emotionally and rationally. Every time he tried to help her when she was nauseous, Kagome would just blow him off, saying she was perfectly alright, and every time he tried hinting that she was sick, she'd just ignore him. She was sick with something, and was being too stubborn to admit it. Inuyasha couldn't help her, because he was no healer, and with Kagome denying it, she wouldn't do anything. He didn't want to try and force her for fear of one of them hurting the other, but if worst comes to worst... The only thing he could do was try and talk to her.

"Dammit. This sucks," said Kagome, walking back over to Inuyasha.

"Gee, touchy already?" Inuyasha screwed up his courage to say what was on his mind. Before Kagome could retort, he said, "Save it, Kagome. We need to talk."

Kagome huffed, mad at being stopped, plopped down and glared at him. "Ok. What?"

Inuyasha evenly returned the glare. "You're sick. You're sick and you're being to stubborn to admit it."

"I've told you, I'm-"

"No, you're not "fine". Do you mean to tell me that having to throw up as soon as you wake up and feeling nauseous all day is feeling fine. Well, even I can tell you its not. Now, since we're so close to Totosai, we will first go talk with him, but immediately afterwards, I want you to go to one of the healers of your time. I don't care if I have to drag you then seal the entrance back, because I will."

Kagome crossed her arms and said, "No. You need me here, and I'm not leaving until we finish off Jigoku Kumo once and for all."

"YOU MORON," he yelled. "WHAT GOOD WOULD IT DO ANYONE IF YOU GOT SO SICK, YOU DIE?!? WHAT ABOUT THE REST OF US?!? WHAT ABOUT SHIPPO, SAKURA, SANGO, KIRARA, KOHAKU, MIROKU, OR KAEDE??? WHAT ABOUT YOUR FAMILY???" His voice lowered to almost a whisper, "What about me?"

Kagome's glare softened slightly, but most of the anger still remained. "Fine, I'll go. But only so you'll get off my back about it."

Inuyasha quickly kissed her, breaking it a second later before she could push him off in her anger. "Thank you. Now that that's settled, shall we?" He motioned for them to continue their "hunt".


	28. Chapter 27 Attitudes and Loyalties

The Same

By James Moore

Disclaimer: The characters in this story are not mine.

Chapter 27

Attitudes and Loyalties

Warning: This chapter is incomplete.

The Sun was blazing high in the sky, as it glared fiercely down upon a humongous valley that was withered and barren. The only way to cross this wasteland was by a small, weather-beaten road that was almost indistinguishable from the rest of the ground. The only real sign that this was a road was the canals made by wagons, and even those were slowly eroding away. This path was a long and lonely one, with hardly any trees or plants along it. Those that were couldn't be called a plant anymore…more like a husk of what was once there.

A very small dot appeared on the horizon, barely visible through the thick heat waves being emitted from the ground. It was like a far off boat sailing through the sea of black, shimmering water. As it drew nearer, the dot began to grow taller, soon becoming a line. That line turned the barest tinge of purple. The line continued its slow, dreary wading through the water illusion.

Very soon, the outline of a man could be perceived from the line and the purple tinge soon became a deep purple robe. There were two more dots, now, one walking beside the man, and the other apparently resting on the man's shoulder. When the man got so close that there were no waves of heat disturbing his image, the two other bodies were easily identified as kitsunes. Also, the man carried a metal staff across his shoulders. It was obvious that all three of the travelers were tired and more than a little dehydrated.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Not too far away, an old female cat demon is seen walking up a gigantic mountain that once was a raging volcano, but had been dormant as far back as the tales of the area go, back to the time of the great Miko, Midoriko. Before that time, a demon of great size and immense power, who was thought to be one of the very first demons, and so, one of the most powerful, lived in the enormous crater it had dug itself at the top of the mountain, and, using its incredible power over fire, it would kill any living thing it could see. It was Miko Midoriko who came and challenged its power. The demon was so great in height that Midoriko spent a month traveling to the demon's home under constant attack by the demon's fire. After reaching the top of the demon's home, Midoriko spent ten days, under an unrelenting barrage of fire, ash, and molten rock, gathering power. On the eleventh day, she cast aside her holy barrier and conjured up a seal of the greatest strength and magnitude she could, sealing the demon in the only thing kept safe from its fury and destruction, a small, charred log, thought to be the demon's birthplace and source of power.

The aged demon cat walked up the hard, stone steps and not on the now-leaf-covered, soft path in the small valley going up the mountain. She had long ago learned never to go on that path, because doing so would mean death. Her grandfather told her about the 'Way of Illusion' many times, and each time, she was warned severely that, if she puts a single foot on that path, there was absolutely no way to save her. Her grandfather started the same way, each time he told her the tale.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"This is the tale of Priestess Midoriko's seal on the great demon and the birth of our nation," he would say. "This nation was not always the way it was. For years after the great demon was sealed, this mountain and all its surroundings lay uninhabited by any sort of creature. While the trees and the forests and many other plants returned and grew, no creature dared to set foot in the land of the great demon. It wasn't until years later, when Midoriko sacrificed her life, thus making the Shikon Jewel, that a demon set foot in the land. That demon was named Dorobô, and he had stolen Priestess Midoriko's pure sword, the Miko Tsurugi. Now, you may wonder how he could have even picked up the sword without being purified. Remember this, my grandchild. ANY MAGIC, EVEN THE OLDEST OF ANCIENT MAGIC, CAN BE FOOLED."

"Dorobô, using the hand of an innocent virgin, was able to pick up and carry the sword. He took it deep into the lands of the great demon, to the mountain home of the demon itself, where he made his hideout, for you see, Dorobô was a greedy demon, and he did not want anyone finding that precious sword. He started building his own house there, making it his base."

"Over ages and ages, people began to forget about the great demon and started to settle in on the land that he once ruled over. When they finally reached the great demon's mountain, they found an older, but still capable, Dorobô still holed up in his base. Dorobô, seeing an opportunity to become richer and more powerful, told the people that he was the ruler of the land they were trespassing on, and, if they wanted to live there, they were to submit to his rule and do as he commanded. This was fine for many years, but after a time, his commands became more and more fierce and demanding. However, his name was Dorobô of the Hair for a reason. He had collected the arms of innocent humans and, using them like a puppet master uses a marionette , wielded the Miko Tsurugi. All the people could do was continue to suffer under his rule. It wasn't until Dorobô finally died 300 years ago that a chance presented itself to the people of the land."

"Dorobô of the Hair was a man so greedy, he never choose a mate and never had an heir, because he never wanted to share any of his possessions. Leaving no heir behind to rule in his stead, the people were at first a bit lost as to what to do. Many conflicts then arose as to what to do with the now ruler-less land. Some wanted to turn the land into one, giant, armed nation, while others wanted to split the land for each clan to have control of, and still others wanted to have no ruler at all."

"There was an even bigger conflict, though, between the races. Neither the demons, the half-demons, nor the humans would let the other have more power in the land. It was agreed that whoever became leader of the great demon's mountain would inherit all of Dorobô possessions, including the Miko Tsurugi, and the desire to rule with that kind of power lead the people to violence and bloodshed."

"The conflicts lasted almost ten years before any sort of resolution was reached. Two head-of-clans met and, after tough negotiations between their separate clans for peace, they banded together as allies. The two leaders, the head of the Kitsuhino clan and the head of the kitsukage, both felt that the war was pointless, and they agreed that a resolution was necessary. Debating for many days in secret, they tried to come up with a plan that would appease most, if not all, demons, hanyou, and humans. Unfortnately, they toiled for days on end and came up with nothing. Frustrated, they had all but given up hope when a rumor reached their ears. A rumor about a monk. A monk who held the Shikon Jewel. A monk who was in the vicinity."

"So as to not arouse suspicion, they agreed to leave separately and meet up at a chosen cave a few mountains over and search for the monk. They weren't going to kill the monk, for he could probably defeat them, but instead, as for his help and expertise. It took them all of 3 days to confirm the rumor and track down the monk, and, after hearing the dilemma the land faced, the holy man offered his aid. Offering any services he could provide, the monk was escorted back to the secret meeting room of the two leaders.


End file.
